Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use Photoshop to saturate the reds in an image without exceeding the limits of video.

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use the refine edges command in Photoshop CS3 to enhance your selections.

I just got my hands on a new hnadbook for HD written by Philip Hodgetts of Intelligent Assistance. Philip is a great guru and has helped me out of several jams in the past. This new book is a 212 page PDF that is reasonably priced at $15.95.

“The HD Survival Handbook was written to answer the myriad of questions that arise when a video professional moves from working in the Standard Definition world up to the more complex world of High Definition.

From essential background information a video professional is expected to know, to summaries of the latest gear that would take you hours of research on the web, this handbook has it covered. The HD workflows area will help you avoid the pitfalls that have trapped so many others and be ready to meet your customers' demand for HD.”

The book works with all NLEs, but has deeper coverage of Final Cut Studio. What’s also cool is that you can buy just the sections you need. Philip sells the Production, Post Production, and Distribution chapters as separate downloads.

Here are two sample pages:

• "What is HD?"
• RAID

Here are the table of contents for each section:

• Production
• Post-Production

• Distribution

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use the refine edges command in Photoshop CS3 to enhance your selections.

I am really looking forward to Photoshop World. I have a ton of new classes that I am giving, so if you’re coming (or thinking of coming) I can promise you some great stuff.

Building an Electronic Portfolio (Using DVD, Slide Software, and Web Galleries)
w/ Richard Harrington
Looking to expand your portfolio? This in-depth class will teach you how to create dynamic electronic portfolios. Learn how to prepare your images for the screen, then take them to new places with the web, DVD, and presentation software. This session will help you show your portfolio to more people with less expense.

Creative Animation with the Puppet Tool
with Richard Harrington
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
with Richard Harrington
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 Chroma Keying
with Richard Harrington
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.

To help you plan your trip, try this interactive planner.

Instructor Richard Harrington explains the difference between straight & premultiplied alpha channels, as well as when and how to use straight alpha channels.

This is part 3 in a series on making great-looking lower thirds with Photoshop.

#6 – Layer Styles are your friend

While everyone knows about filters, many miss layer styles (or effects in older versions). These real-time effects combine good looks with speed and flexibility. When building titles, they are the way to go. You can use styles for shadows, glows, bevels, textures and more. Best of all they are stored within the document and can be easily modified.

Check out the following sites for more on Actions
http://www.actionfx.com
http://www.deepspaceweb.com
http://www.toolsfortelevision.com
http://www.webteknique.com

If your edit system supports layered files, you’ll have to flatten your layer styles if you want to import the PSD document. I usually do this on a copy of the project, so I can go back to the original and make changes. The following steps can be saved as an action. Highlight the styled layer; then record the following action.

1. Create a new layer and name it Flat. (It will be created by default right above selected layer.)
2. Press Option+[ (Alt+[) to select the layer below to be flattened.
3. Link to the layer named Flat.
4. Choose merge linked from the palette’s submenu.
5. Press STOP. (You can choose Option (Alt)+Merge Linked instead for targeted flattening).

#7 – Make it Readable

Video type needs to be big. When you are sitting less than two-feet away from your computer screen, 20 –point type looks great. When you are sitting 20+ feet away from the television, it’s worthless. Use bigger type. Here’s a simple test.

1. Choose View> Actual Pixels.
2. Press the F key twice to go to Full-Screen mode.
3. Press Tab to hide your palettes.
4. Stand up from your computer and look at it from the far corner of the room. How’s it look?
5. Press the F key and tab to return to normal.

#8 – Make it See Through

Okay, you’re almost done. You just need to save the graphic for your edit system. Te best way to make sure everything comes in properly is to use a single layer graphic with an alpha channel. Depending on your edit system, you may need a PICT file or a TARGA file (check your owner’s manual).

There are several methods for creating alpha channels. In my opinion, this is the fastest and easiest.

1. Turn off all layers you don’t want in the final graphic (including the background or placement image). Create a new (empty layer) and highlight it.
2. Hold down the Option (Alt) key, choose Merge Visible. A composite layer is now created.
3. Turn this layer off by clicking on the Eye icon.
4. Hold down the Cmd (Ctrl) key and click on the layer name in the layer’s palette. The marching ants should encircle the layer.
5. Switch to the Channels palette and click on the Save Selection as Channel button. Only have 1 alpha channel per document or your NLE will get confused.
6. Choose File>Save As to Save A Copy as a PICT or TARGA with an alpha channel included. Photoshop 7 users who need TARGA files should download the free update to fix a bug with transparency

I often preach extensively about project management at design and creative conferences around the globe. The one piece of paperwork that I always emphasize is completing a scoping document for a project then getting the client to sign off and accept it. This one piece of papaerwork can solve all sorts of problems and is really worth the 2-5 hours it takes to write. The outline is as follows.

Project Scoping Document

( 2 - 1 0 p a g e s )

• Project Name
• Executive Summary
• Background
• Project Scope (High Level)

• Project Objectives
• Deliverables
• Organizations
• Interfaces Required
• Assumptions
• Constraints
• Evaluation Criteria
• Risks
• Rewards
• Budgets
• Schedules (Due Dates)
• Project Team Readiness

• Key Roles

• Executive Sponsor
• Project Manager
• Business Experts
• Technical Experts

• Signature Lines - Sign Off “Charter”