Looking for a semi-legimate reason to go to Hawaii?

If you are, I'm teaching my one-day "Photoshop CS2 Power Tour" seminar next week, on December 4th, at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu. NAPP members can attend the full-day seminar for only $79, and if you're out that way (or looking for an excuse to be out that way), I hope to see you there. Also, I'm coming in the night before and looking for a place to shoot around sunset, so if you know of a great little known place, post it here on the blog. Also, after that I'm off to Maui, and same thing there: know of a great place---let me know. Mahalo and Aloha! :-)

Wanna Join Me For Some Shooting and Photoshoppin'?

Then mark your calendar's Bunky, 'cause I'm headed to the Great Smokie Mountains National Park for four days of shooting in some of the most beautiful country this great land has to offer, then when the sun is high in the sky, you and I are headed back to the classroom to learn the Photoshop Digital Photography workflow from the ground up. This Digital Photography Workflow workshop, produced by the wonderful folks at the "Great American Photography Workshop (GAPW)," takes place April 11-15, 2007 and we are just going to have a ball, so I hope you can join me, and legendary landscape photographer Bill Fortney, as we take you to shoot some of the most stunning and majestic scenery a camera can capture. There is VERY limited space for this workshop, so if you'd like to join me, sign up right away at http://www.gapweb.com/eventinfo/2007/NAPP/smokies2007.htm

P.S. My buddy Dave Cross is doing a GAPW workshop too, going to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon in Utah, on April 18-22, 2007 (sign-up using the same link above).

A Forgotten Photoshop Pop-up Menu

OK, I guess it's only forgotten by me, but I hadn't thought of it in so long, until I got an email today from Berlin-based Photoshop TV viewer Gregor Winter who reminded me of a great tip for quickly getting the image size, resolution, and color mode of your document. You just Option-click (PC: Alt-click) directly on the Doc size info at the bottom left-hand corner of your image window, and a pop-up menu appears (as shown above) with that info. Also, if you Command-click (PC: Right-click) on that same menu, you get a different pop-up menu with the Tile dimensions, though I have no idea what you would use that for (other than to impress friends). Thanks Gregor for bringing this one back to life. :)

The Photography of Thomas Broening

I'm not sure how I ran across this site, but I've had it bookmarked for a while because I absolutely love his work. Thomas Broening is an Oakland-based photographer and his images are just absolutely captivating to me. If you check out his site (it's really worth a visit), make sure you look at his Bethlehem Steel gallery, his Villa Motel gallery, and...ah heck, just look at all his galleries (it doesn't take long). Seeing his stuff makes me want to grab my camera and head out the door. See for yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Here's wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy Thanksgiving! :-)

Scott
A guy with a lot to be thankful for. :)

Are You Seeing Your Photo At The Right Resolution?

This came up in a discussion yesterday, and I thought I'd pass it on just in case. When you view an image in Photoshop, the image displays the full resolution version on screen only at certain magnifications, like 100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5% etc. If you view your photo at common zoom view of either 66.7%, or 33.3% (as shown in the title bar above) or basically any other view size that's not 100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25%, etc., you get a lower res preview version displayed instead, and that's why an image sometimes looks jaggy on screen. You'll especially notice this if there's text or a logo in your Photoshop image. The reason Adobe did this, is to speed the process of zooming in/out of your image. You'll notice that it zooms in and out very quickly, but if they had to render a full resolution version of your photo at every magnification, it would be much, much slower. So, to see the "real" res version, just make sure you're viewing your photo at either 100%, 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.25, etc. Hope that helps. :)

Stocking Stuffer: The New Version of my iPod Book Now in Stock

I just updated my iPod book called (surprisingly enough), "The iPod Book," (3rd edtion) and it's now in stock at Amazon.com and at your local Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. The book has been totally updated for the latest iPods, including chapters on the new iPod Shuffle, the new Nano, all the new Movie and TV downloads, and all the latest iPod accessories for your home and car. Although it's called "The iPod Book" a lot of the book is about using Apple's iTunes software and the iTunes Store (where you buy all the songs, TV shows, Movies, and download Podcasts). It's filled with tips, tricks, little known features, etc. and has the exact same layout and style as my book "The Digital Photography Book" (I know....I need to work on some more creative names for these books, right?). ;-) Amazon.com has it in stock for $11.99. Buy one for everyone (and I mean everyone), on your Holiday list. In fact, buy a copy for people you don't even know. ;-)

Terry White's Holiday Gadget Guide

My buddy Terry White has posted his own Holiday Gadget Gift Guide, and even if you downloaded mine, you'll want to be sure to download Terry's as well. Terry is my #1 gadget guru, and his 18-page PDF guide extends far beyond just photography and Photoshop gear. He's got everything from cool Cell Phones to gifts for frequent travelers, to the best iPod accessories, and much more. It's very complete, and there's plenty of stuff there I didn't even know existed. Download it from Terry's Tech Blog.

A Look Back at Photoshop's Icon's

Photoshop Project Manager John Nack posted a link on his blog yesterday to a page showing all the application icons from previous versions of Adobe Photoshop. For those of you that have used Photoshop for years, it's a walk down memory lane (I started at version 2.0). If you're fairly new to Photohsop, I think you'll find it interesting to see the previous icons, and how they've changed over the years. The page isn't fancy---just a blank page with the icons, but it's still worth a quick visit, and besides, the page loads really fast. ;-)

It's at http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/images/ps-icon-history.gif

I Got Some Good News This Weekend

I got a call from my Publisher right as I was leaving Adobe HQ for the red-eye home. They let me know that Amazon.com had released their Best Books of 2006 list, and:

(1) My new book "The Digital Photography Book" took the #1 spot as Amazon.com's Editor's Choice Pick for best computer book of 2006.

(2) That same book was the #1 bestselling photography book of 2006 on Amazon (even though it just came out in September), and...

(3) My book, "The Photoshop Channels Book" was Amazon.com's top-selling Photoshop book of 2006, based on customer sales (This list is comprised of books whose first edition was published in 2006).

Thanks to the Editors at Amazon, and to all my faithful readers. I'm very grateful to you all. :-)

COOL STUFF: Create Your Own SouthPark Character

Forgive me if you've already run across this, but I just found it and it cracked me up. It's a German based site that uses Flash to let you create your own custom Southpark characters. You can choose just about every aspect of your custom-made character, from clothes, to facial features, to even the design on their t-shirt. It's an incredible productivity killer, so stop what you're doing (especially if you're at work), and shoot over to the English language version at http://www.sp-studio.de/

"Photoshop Guy" Dave Cross immortialized as a Comic Book Character!

My buddy, and PhotoshopTV co-host Dave Cross has been forever immortialized as a comic book character by cartoon artist Lee Cherolis, who attended one of Dave's Photoshop seminars. The cartoon is really cute (I won't spoil it here---go check out the full strip at Dave's blog). Those darn friendly Canadians get all the perks! ;-)

New DVD on Nikon Creative Flash from "the Wizard of Flash" Joe McNally

While I was researching the new Nikon SB400 Speedlight (see previous post today), I came across this new DVD from our buddy (and Flash Overlord) Joe McNally, called "The Speed of Light." Even if you're not a Nikon shooter, you've got to go and watch the short online preview, which shows Joe on location in a number of different shoots. It's just amazing. The preview (and more info on the DVD) is found here. And you can buy the DVD (produced by Nikon School) for $30.00 at the Nikon Mall or your local Nikon Dealer (I found it at B&H Photo for only $24.95)

While everybody's focused on the release of the Nikon D40....

....Nikon announced something that may be of bigger interest to people already shooting with a Nikon DSLR (like the D50, D70 or D80). It's the Nikon Speedlight SB400, which is a very small dedicated flash unit that (here's the rub) has bounce-flash capability, so you don't get the harsh unflattering look of the standard on-camera straight-on flash. It tilts up to 90°, it's very small and very light, and best of all it lists for only $129. Find out more at Nikonusa.com

I'm Off To Adobe's HQ Today

I'm off for a whirlwind trip to San Jose, California for a round of meetings at Adobe's HQ, so I'm not sure how much blogging I'm going to get done until I get back on Friday, which I why I did three posts today (I'm taking the red eye home Thursday night, so I'll be pretty blurry-eyed when I land back in Tampa on Friday morning, so I wouldn't look for a post at say....7:30 am. Have a great week everybody, and check out the two new posts below. :)

Create Free Flash-Based Online Slideshows, Just Like The One Below!

I just ran across this site, and I have to say, this is really, really cool. The site is called "Slide.com" and it lets you upload photos, and then create your own flash-based gallery (you choose the style, theme, number of photos, whether to include captions, and more), and then it generates the code to display on your own blog (or it makes a desktop screensaver for Mac or PC). It takes two minutes, and it's done. It's so simple, anyone can do it (even me), and I created the slideshow above in about three minutes, featuring a few of my recent shots. Try this once--you'll be hooked. It's at http://www.slide.com

Free Downloadable Model Release Forms

Photographer David Honl has graciously posted the model release he uses in his everyday work as a downloadable PDF so you can make copies and have them handy when shooting people for commercial purposes. While you're at his site, take a moment to check out some of his wonderful photography (click on his logo to get there)---it alone is worth the visit. Download the release at http://davidhonlphoto.com/forms/

The Gift Guide goes LIVE on Photoshop TV

Don't miss the new episode of Photoshop TV (just posted yesterday afternoon), as it features a LIVE version of my Gonzo Holiday Gift Guide, including brief demos of some of the items in my gift guide, and better yet, a terrific live in-studio flash tutorial from famous wedding photographer (and Photoshop World instructor) David Ziser (pictured above). Plus, there's just some really weird funny stuff in this episode that you just have to see for yourself. Check it out at PhotoshopTV.com

Get My Free Gonzo Holiday Gadget Guide!

Today my first ever "Gonzo Holiday Gadget Guide" went "live." It's a free downloadable PDF featuring a list of photography and Photoshp-releated products that I use every day, and have fallen deepy, uncontrollably, and uncomfortably in love with. If you're looking for something to get the Photoshop Freak in your life, go download it from either http://www.planetphotoshop.com, or http://www.photoshoptv.com, or the NAPP member Website.

COOL STUFF: A hard drive full of magazines!

Pamela Hennessy, our Photoshop TV Executive Producer, sent this my way this morning, and I was pretty impressed. It's an offer from the New Yorker magazine, where you buy an actual hard drive from them (it's a small 3"x5" 80GB portable-sized drive), and on that hard drive is an electronic version of every back issue of the New Yorker back to 1925 (over 4,000 issues). They're selling for $299, which when you think about it, is a steal. In fact, I'm tempted to buy the hard drive, and then reformat it to store photos (I'm totally kidding). It's worth a look just to see a glimpse into a new paradymn in magazine distribution. Kudos to the New Yorker for taking this bold inititive. Check it out by clicking here.

John Paul Caponigro on Photoshop TV This Week

If you haven't caught the latest episode of Photoshop TV, go check it out at (PhotoshopTV.com), because there's a special guest tutorial from reknown Photoshop artist, and Photoshop Hall of Famers, John Paul Caponigro (shown here in the opening clip of his segment, with Matt Kloskowski). He brings some really refreshing techniques to light that are definitly worth a look. You can watch it right there on the Web site, or from within Apple's iTunes for Mac and Windows (just launch iTunes, go to the iTunes Store, then click on the Podcast's link. Once in the Podcasts section, type Photoshop in the search field and you'll find Photoshop TV right away. You can watch the show from right there, and while you're there you can subscribe for free, so you don't miss a single episode.

We just launched a new Lightroom Video Podcast

If you're into Adobe Lightroom (officially now called "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom), you should check out our boy Matt Kloskowski's new Lightroom Killer Tips Video Podcast. Each week Matt will show some cool Lightroom techniques, tips, shortcuts, etc. and we're pretty jazzed about the whole thing. Now, even though it's called a "Podcast" you don't need an iPod to watch it. You can watch it right there on the Web site (LightroomKillerTips.com), or you can subscribe for free and get it every week through Apple's iTunes software (free for Mac or Windows). Definitely worth checking out pronto.

Shot from the Live Shoot

Here's one of the shots from the live LA classroom shoot. The model is Debbie Stephenson, our Seminar Team Leader, who we pulled away from the seminar registration/check-in desk long enough to pose for a quick portrait.

Live Shoot in LA

One thing I added to the LA seminar was a live photo-shoot. I start the day with a workflow/color correction class, so I thought what better way to see the exact workflow than to start out with a live portrait shoot, pop out the memory card, put it in the computer, and show my suggested workflow, in the exact order, from beginning to end. Here's a shot of the studio we set up (with the help of my LA-based friend Mike Kubeisy, who is the offical photographer for the CSI Television shows) in the front of the seminar room. We set up a stobe with a softbox attached (on a boom stand) directly in front of the model, and a gold reflector on a boom below her, bouncing the light back to fill in the shadows. We added to Alien Bee strobe behind her; one to light her hair, and one to add some dimention to the background. You can see the basic-set-up in the photo shown here.

California Love

I just want to thank everybody who came out to see me on Thursday in LA and Friday in San Diego (all 1,700+ of you!). I had a blast, and I met some really great people (including loads of Photoshop TV viewers and NAPP members), and it was really just an amazing trip. I got to shoot a little, the day before the LA seminar, with my buddy Marvin Derezin and Dave Moser, at the tranquil Self Realization Park. At that park, I self realized, that I didn't get any good shots that day. ;-)

Anyway, thanks again to everybody who came out and for letting me share some of my latest Photoshop techniques.

By the way, did anybody catch my "Tu Pac" song reference in the title of this post? "California Love? Anybody? No? Rats.

Camera Raw 3.6 Now Available

OK, the beta version has been available for a while, but the final version has been posted by Adobe, and it supports lots of new cameras, including the Nikon D80, Canon Rebel XTi, the new Fuji FinePix cameras, and a host of others. Here's the Mac download. Here's the Windows download.

I'm Off To Los Angeles!

I'm headed out this morning to LA for my one-day "Photoshop CS2 Power Tour" seminar at the LA Convention center. I'm pretty psyched as this is a record-breaking seminar with over 1,100 people registered. I'll also get to hang out with a couple of my buddies, and go shooting tonight as well, so I'm really excited. On Friday, I'm teaching the same seminar in San Diego (sitting in for Dave Cross whose father is ill, and he's up in Canada looking after him), and then I head back home on the red eye Friday night. I can't wait!!!! (Hey, by the way, if you're coming to either seminar, make sure you stop me and say "hi"). :-)