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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the action mentioned in the video.

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

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

To download the free guide – Click Here.

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

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

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

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

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

Read more

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Increased Productivity

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

Unrivaled Editing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are my favorites to check out.

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

Peachpit Press has released a cool series on reasons to upgrade to Photoshop CS4.



You can check out cool videos by:

• Bert Monroy's Reasons to Upgrade to Photoshop CS4
• Matt Kloskowski's Reasons to Upgrade to Photoshop CS4
• Chris Orwig's Reasons to Upgrade to Photoshop CS4
• Kevin Ames' Reasons to Upgrade to Photoshop CS4
• Rich Harrington's Reasons to Upgrade to Photoshop CS4

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 their Web broadcast on September 23rd. But you do need to go to the sign-up page at www.adobe.com/go/somethingbrilliant.

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

Instructor Richard Harrington shows you how to use the Photoshop plug-in Zoomify to share high resolution images on the web.



Like the podcast? Subscribe for FREE.
Want more training? Check out our Books.

Looking to key video in Photoshop Extended? Be sure to check out Primatte Chromakey 3.0 from Digital Anarchy. This plug-in has a great auto-mask mode that you can use to key right inside photoshop.

1. Open a clip into Photoshop Extended.
2. Convert the video layer into a Smart Object.
3. Apply the Primatte Chromakey 3.0 filter.

You can download a demo from Digital Anarchy’s website. The plugin works well for blue and green screen removal.

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

This is part 2 in a series on making great-looking lower thirds with Photoshop.

#3 – Pick a cool font

Now that we’ve got most of the technical junk out of the way, let’s have some fun. Other than music, nothing says more about the character of your show than the fonts you use. Be sure to allow enough time (and possibly $$$) to pick a cool font. There are several options to consider when picking a font.

• SERIF vs SANS-SERIF: Serifs are the little hooks on type. Serifed type (think Times) uses thick and thin strokes. Sans-Serif (think Helvetica) uses even-weighted strokes. Sans Serif usually reads better for video. If using serifed fonts, look for a bold or black version and avoid lines thinner that 3-pixels.
• Style: Write 10 – 20 words down that describe your video. Get input from your client too. Use these words for guidance when looking at fonts.
• Free or Paid: Free fonts (and overly cheap) fonts often have partial character sets. This may be an issue if you need special symbols (such as & ™ © or •). You get what you pay for, but don’t worry, several independent font foundries sell great fonts for less than $25 per font.
• Keep it in the Family: Some fonts belong to families (regular, bold, black, italic, etc). This is useful as you can use one font family and mix styles. This leads to a consistent design in your titles. If you want to mix fonts NEVER use more then two fonts in a title graphic.
• Format: Many fonts come in different formats. Macs have historically used Postscript while PCs have used TrueType. Macintosh OSX can now read many “PC” true type fonts with no problem. A new format OpenType is also starting to pop up for sale.
• Kerning: Some professional fonts have had the spacing between characters carefully tweaked. This balanciong is called pair kerning. If your type appears improperly balanced you will need to kern it. Move between characters using the left and right arrows. Hold down the Option key (Alt key) and press the left and right arrows to tighten or loosen pair-kerning.

Some places to look for unique (and often free) fonts:

#4 – Use good color

Can you match your own clothes in the morning? When you walk through a room do people point? By now you’ve likely figured out a few color basics (or have strategies that work). Here are a few more tips.

• Avoid highly saturated colors. Bright reds and yellows will cause problems in video.
• Use contrasting colors; if you were to use a color wheel, these would be colors opposite each other. If you want to use three colors, draw a triangle on the color wheel. Digital Anarchy sells a great product called ColorTheory that makes it easy to pick color combinations for two or more colors.
• Pick up the Pantone book on color trends. This book offers interesting color combinations that always seem to end up the latest fashion.
• Mix light and dark colors to maintain contrast. Dark on dark and light on light are VERY hard to read.
• Use a contrasting edge on your type (such as a shadow or glow). This will improve readability.

#5 – Make it layered

If all you ever do is draw a box and put some words on it, you’re so retro that it’s not even cool. Video graphics these days use multiple layers and transparency to achieve good looks. I can go on for hundreds pages on layering techniques (see Photoshop for Nonlinear Editors, part of the DV Expert Series). Here’s some down & dirty tricks to take you to a higher level.

• Use photos of textures in your bars. I often take pictures of light, reflections, lighting, water waves, etc. and mix these in with my graphics to add a natural depth. Simply place the texture above your bar and press Cmd + G (Ctrl + G) to group it. The texture is now applied just to the bar area below.
• Use blending modes to achieve better looks. This is perhaps Photoshop’s coolest feature. While you can pick them from a list in the layer’s palette, I find it easier just to experiment. Highlight the layer you want to blend, pick the move tool (V), then press Shift + + or Shift + - to cycle through blend modes. Experiment, have fun, trust me it works!
• Use layer masks to blend layers together. Use black and white gradients on your layer masks to create smooth transitions in mixing layers.
• Fill an empty layer above your bar with a solid color or gradient. Tint your bar by setting this layer to the Color or Hue blending mode.

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

You’re nearly finished with your video. You’ve picked the perfect music, gotten the editing done just right, and now its time to give credit where it’s due. No, there’s no need to tell your mom how much you love her (at least not in your video). But you do need to identify all those talking heads in your show. After all, it’s important to let your audience know who’s talking and why they should care.

Proper use of titles and lower-third graphics help your audience follow the action. They establish the credibility of your on-camera interviews. If you apply a few simple ‘rules’ they can even improve the quality of your entire piece and add to the overall style. Don’t freak out when I say rules; rather think of this as experienced advice. Choose to follow whatever makes sense for your show.

To build titles and lower-thirds, I recommend Adobe Photoshop. While there are several other tools out there, none have as big a user base or as many options. Think of Photoshop as a flexible friend, it’s great at getting you out of tight jams and creative bottlenecks. All of these tips will work with Photoshop 5.5 or newer (and most are timeless, working with all versions).

#1 – Build It Right

You have to get things started, might as well do it right. The first step to make great looking titles is to build them the right size. If your graphics get formatted incorrectly, they will have to be resized by your video software. This usually results in shakes, jitters, and strobing (while this may make for a good Saturday night, you won’t want this in your show).

The right size for graphics is a popular arguing point amongst video pros. The issue is that Photoshop 7 and earlier has used square pixels, which is the standard for computer graphics. The problem is that most video sources use a D1/DV pixel, which is rectangular in shape, or non-square. Don’t worry, short-term problem.

To make things easier, Photoshop 7 (and newer) has built-in templates. Use them. The sizes Adobe recommends work just fine and I have never had any problems with these dimensions.

#2 – Make a template

1. Have an empty document open sized for your editing system (see above).
2. Create a new (empty) layer, and name it Safe Title Area.
3. Select All by pressing Cmd+A (Ctrl+A).
4. Scale the active selection to 80% by choosing Select>Transform Selection, and then typing in 80% in the Options bar for width and height. Press Return (Enter).
5. Load red as the foreground color. Then choose Edit>Stroke and specify four pixels centered. This is the title safe area.
6. Lock the Safe Area Overlay layer by clicking on the Lock icon in the layer’s palette.
7. Save your work.

Learn how to use the Shape Tools to create dynamic motion graphics elements. This tutorial was recorded as part of a session at the 2007 NY Post Production Conference (www.nypostconference.com).

I was interviewed by MacEditionRadio.com about Photoshop and creating a portfolio. Here it is.. enjoy.

“At the 2007 Photoshop World in Las Vegas, I sat down with Peachpit Press and Focal Press author Richard Harrington, and we discussed the issues involved in creating DVDs that make your photographs look their best. If you have ever been confused about the proper resolution to prepare files for DVD, television, or video projection, then Richard’s Tips and Tricks will fill in the blanks! Rich is the author of “Photoshop for Video”, and “Understanding Adobe Photoshop: Digital Image Concepts and Techniques.” and if you are working with digital photography, Photoshop, or Lightroom, and need to show others your photos then listen in to this interview! Recorded at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Photoshop World Conference, in Las Vegas, in September 2007 by Harris Fogel. Posted 6/28/08 (24:09)”

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

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

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

DOWNLOAD THE EPISODE – WATCH ONLINE

Technorati Profile" rel="external">_

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

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

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

Watch Episode Online
Download Episode 138

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

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

Read More...

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

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

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

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

I recently had a chacne to visit my friends at Kelby Training down in Florida. While there we taped several things that will soon see the light of day. One of the things to keep an eye on is a special episode all about Adobe Production Premium CS3. Be sure to check out their website, and you’ll see about 8 new tutorials coming out for After Effects, Photoshop Extended, and Premiere Pro over the next several weeks.

Looking for a useful application to tell you more about your video files? Mac users should check out the free (and still in pre-release) Video Spec software tool. The tool is a little rough around the edges (it has one major bug which is the aspect ratio of DV and HDV is not reported accurately) but it is still truly useful.

• The latest version has been tested on Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard.
• It is compatible with PowerPC and Intel Mac (Universal Binary).
• This version is localized in english and french.

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

Here are some of the core features worth checking out:

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

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

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

I hope you enjoy it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check the whole thing out here.

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

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

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

I taught an Adobe E-Seminar yesterday called "Creating a Graphic Identity for your Web Video and Dynamic Media." The class itself will be posted next week. Here are a few resources I identified during the class.

1. Two motion graphics projects.
2. Advice on rendering in After Effects.
3. Resource Slides
4. Photoshop for Video Podcast (free)
5. Producing Video Podcasts show (free)

The two books mentioned are Producing Video Podcasts and Photoshop for Video.

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



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

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

To get the hands on files click here.

To get a bonus video tutorial - click here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

For the rest of the review, click here.

I just got back from NAB this morning... here are a handful of videos we produced while on the road.


The Litepanels Micro


The Matrox MXO 2

More from the NAB Show Floor.

On the Scene at NAB 2008


The AJA IO HD with Gary Adcock

On the road at NAB... here are a handful of videos we produced.

The Red Scarlet: A First Look


Adobe Media Player at NAB 2008

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



Here are the core features

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

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

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

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

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

Here's what I like:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for the offer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those who know me personally, know I am very passionate about podcasting. I have been hard at work for the last year on a new book on just that, video podcasting. My business partner, Mark Weiser, and I have taken many of the hard lessons learned at RHED Pixel and put them into a book. The book is full color and richly illustrated, plus there will also be a companion website and podcast launching in January.

The book ships in February, but you can get the biggest discount by pre-ordering it from Amazon.com.

The new schedule for Photoshop World Conference & Expo is posted. Visit the updated website to see the offerings. The conference is to be held in Orlando, FL on April 2-4, 2008. Here’s the link. I'll be teaching a few classes on the show floor (which are free) as well as these great classes on using Photoshop for video and multimedia.

Motion Graphics Track:

• Put Your Portfolio on DVD
• Motion Control 3D
• Typography in Motion

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

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

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

So I had a webcast on Photoshop CS3 extended that was a special Adobe event. There were a lot of questions raised that I couldn't get to during the "live" show. Here are some of the ones that I could answer (before falling asleep).

Q: alrosadojr: can you use blending options on the video clips.
A: Yes, you can use blending options on video clips in PSCS3 Extended. You can also make them Smart Objects and run filters or modes.

Q: panieee: When you open a video clip in PS, add your effect and save. How do you save the file? As video? PSD?
A: Photoshop saves a PSD file that links to the video clip.

Q: siying chen: can photoshop cs2 open video file? or only cs3 can do that?
A: Only PS CS3 Extended.

Read More...

I just gave a useful class (at least people there thought it was) on Automating Photoshop. We touched on Actions, Scripts, Droplets, and Automation commands. I have a few notes pulled together on the topic and wanted to share them here.

• Photoshop Automation Techniques

If you want a lot more on using Photoshop for Video, be sure to check out the book Photoshop for Video from Focal Press.

I just got done fighting with Adobe Photoshop in front of a live audience of people (which is pretty frustrating). Photoshop crashed every time I tried to open a file, save a file, etc. Pretty frustrating... but I solved it. The culprit was Version Cue from Adobe. Every time File Navigation Services were invoked to Open, Browse, or Save... Photoshop crashed.

Here's the fix.

1. Choose Photoshop > Preferences.

2. Click the File Handling tab.

3. Uncheck the Enable Version Cue box.

4. Quit and re-launch Photoshop.

5. Enjoy.

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

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

Download and Installation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just got done with a full-blown review on Strata 3D plug-ins for Photoshop CS3 Extended for Layers Magazine. I can't spill all the beans (my full review will appear in next month's issue). But I couldn't wait to point out a great new tool. Be sure to check out Strata Design 3D In. This very cool plug-in lets you bring in 3D models to your Photoshop projects. Sure. you're thinking doesn't PSCS3 Extended do that already? Nope... not this well. This plug-in ties into Vanishing Point and lets you match the models and lights to the perspective of your photo. Plus you get even greater control over rendering out lights and reflections. This tool is hot, and I highly recommend you try the demo out.

Adobe's Russell Brown has produced a great new collection of FREE workflow scripts for Photoshop CS3 & CS3 Extended. Be sure to check out Dr. Brown's Services 1.9.2 which offer some great features for video.
"Background Remover," "Interpret Video," "Fit Video to Audio," and "Slide Show" scripts take advantage of Photoshop CS3 Extended's new video capabilities.

If you want to save time, download Dr. Brown's Services 1.9.2

Peachpit Press is running a new contest featuring the $1,000 question. It's a simple question "What equipment and software would you recommend to a budding digital photographer if they had a $1000 budget to get started?" Peachpit gathered six experts (somehow I was one, you'll find me doing my best Las Vegas lounge singer impression).

You vote for the best answer (pick me) and a chance to win the prizes.

The contest:
Go to peachpit.com/1000dollarquestion and vote for your favorite digital photography package—compiled by our author experts. You’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win the package that you vote for. We’ll choose one winner out of all entries.

Contest ends December 31, 2007.

Adobe is offering a free class that you can take on using Photoshop with their video products. It's a live online seminar and I highly encourage you to sign up in advance.

EVENT DESCRIPTION: Working with Photoshop Extended to use with Premiere Pro and After Effects
Join Richard Harrington, author of Photoshop for Video and Understanding Adobe Photoshop, contributing author for After Effects On the Spot, After Effects at Work, and Broadcast Graphics on the Spot, to learn how to prepare your digital images for video. Using the best professional techniques, bring your still images to life using Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Adobe After Effects CS3. Richard is also the host of the weekly show, Photoshop for Video and runs a blog with the same name at www.PhotoshopforVideo.com.
When: Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:30 AM-12:00 PM (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada).
Where: online & telephone
Sign Up: www.adobe.com/go/dveseminars

I just had a great time at the New York Post|Production conference. For three days media pros gathered in New York movie house for the latest in digital media tools. I had the opportunity to teach a lot of new classes as well as show some of my favorite techniques. Here's the notes and a few demo files to play with.

01 Photoshop CS3 for Motion Graphics and Video | Book | DVD Available
02 Apple and Adobe – A Great Toolbox | Project X | Resizer Template
03 Beat the AE Render Queue
04 Media Management in Final Cut Pro | DVD Available
05 How to Sell Podcasting Services to Your Clients
06 Things You Might Not Know About After Effects CS3 | Puppet Tool Files | Vanishing Point Files
07 Multicam Editing Strategies in Final Cut Pro
08 Field Production Strategies for Video Podcasting
09 Creating a Graphical Identity for Your Video Podcasts (enhanced PDF)
10 Motion Control 3D | Demo Files | VPE Demo
11 Advanced Color Correction in Final Cut Pro | DVD Available

So, we've recently taken the P2 plunge at my company. These are the cards that are used in Panasonic’s HD cameras that allow you to record high-def video without needing tape. While the cards are great, it is a little hard to load the footage into the newer mac laptops. That's because the cards are shaped like the old PCMIA cards... and new modern laptops have switched to using the ExpressCard format.

Enter this useful device from Duel Systems.

”The DuelAdapter™ seamlessly converts input from PCMCIA cards designed for cellular broadband, wireless networking, video, audio and memory expansion to an ExpressCard compatible format. Data can be transferred at rates up to the full speed supported by the ExpressCard interface — five times faster than USB 2.0! The DuelAdapter is easy to set up — just install the driver, insert the adapter into your notebook’s ExpressCard slot and plug your PCMCIA card into the adapter.”

The product IS mac compatible... but I have yet to test it... We plan on ordering ours soon though.... so a detailed report to follow.

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

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

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

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

Do you need to get your After Effects project onto a DVD for others to view? Bob Donlon (a video evangelist at Adobe) offers a great tutorial on his blog. Bob shows you in detailed steps how to take an AE composition and create an auto-play DVD (one without menus that just works). This is a great timesaver and I strongly encourage you to check it out (as well as the other great stuff on his blog).

Over at our Photoshop for Video forum, we are hosting a thread on what issues you face when it comes to Photoshop and Video. The purpose is to make our new training DVD more useful to those who need it (as well as create some new posts and free tutorials). Please head on over and share your opinion.

The new online forum offers lots more. Here's a sample of some of the topics posted so far.

Saving selections...
Alpha Channel Issues
Best Preset for DV
Camera Raw Usage - An open discussion
Action Request Line
Photoshop CS3 Public Beta

Feel free to check the forum out and add your own questions or comments.

I just got back from the wonderful Editors Retreat in South Beach, Florida. There was a lot to learn and it was a great chance to see old friends and make new ones. As promised, here are additional notes from my classes.
 
• Photoshop Automation Techniques
• Boutique Owners Business Track

It's that time again... we've launched our survey for the month of January. It's time for you to cast your vote and have your voice/click heard.

At MacWorld this week, Adobe announced Premiere Pro for the Macintosh. It will run on Intel-based Macintosh systems and offers a lot of great new features. Adobe says it will ship mid-2007. So... are you interested?

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

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

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

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

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

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

In case you missed it, we've partnered with DV Magazine to bring you a new online forum. It offers a great way to ask questions and share knowledge. Here's a sample of some of the topics posted so far.

Saving selections...
Alpha Channel Issues
Best Preset for DV
Camera Raw Usage - An open discussion
Action Request Line
Photoshop CS3 Public Beta

Feel free to check the forum out and add your own questions or comments.

Well after a few weeks off, I have re-enterred the role of online forum host. I have partnered with the great folks over at DV Magazine and DV.com to bring you a new interactive forum. This is a great place to share ideas, ask questions, and meet up with others who share a passion for all things pixels. The forum is totally free, you can access it by clicking the forum button in the menu bar above or through this direct link.

I hope you enjoy this new service and feel free to drop me a line with comments or suggestions.

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

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

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

Photoshop CS3 Sneak Peek – On the Web – On iTunes

The great folks over at Photoshop User Magazine have launched an online learning center for the new Photoshop CS3 beta. You'll find great articles, interviews, and video tutorials on the latest technology development. I particularly liked Scott Kelby's Top 10 list and interview with John Nack, the Photoshop product manager.

These guys have good stuff and can be commended for making the bulk of it free to new users. Be sure to check it out and explore new options. You may also want to Join NAPP for access to a wealth of other online materials and training.

Long-rumored, but finally true. Adobe has announced a public beta program for Photoshop CS3. While the finished program is not yet ready for release until the Spring, it is almost ready for 'prime-time.' You can read more about the release on Adobe's website for the full details.

If you are looking for some training, here's two places to start:
Photoshop CS3 Sneak Peek – On the Web – On iTunes
Photoshop CS3 Learning Center – On the Web

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have problems? Perhaps a beef or unfulfilled need? I am knee-deep in updating Photoshop CS for Nonlinear Editors for its Third Edition. This is what I need from you, the motivated website visitor to this site.

1. LIst of hot topics or new technology you want to see covered.
2. List of Photoshop problems that trouble you.
3. Any input you have on previous versions.
4. Cool work samples that I can add to galleries in the book, templates, actions, styles, or anything you'd like to share.

Please contact me and let me know your thoughts or post a comment here.

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

If you need to try out different color combinations, be sure to try Kuler from Adobe labs. This flash-based application lets you browse a wide variety of designer created color schemes as well as create your own. It supports all the major rules from Analogous to Shades. The controls are beautifully designed and the entire application really inspires creativity. In order to access it, you are supposed to have a live connection to the Internet. You'll need to be online to take advantage of the shared and highest rated features, but I've found a work-around for those times when an Internet connection isn't an option. I was able to save a web archive in Safari (File > Save As) which can then be opened up when I am not on the Net. Be sure to check this very cool application out.

I've just posted an old article of mine that I really like. It’s called “The Director’s Cut – Digital Video and the Power of the Macintosh.” It’s a fun article that shares a bunch of ideas on pre-production, production, and post. It was originally published in MacDesign Magazine (now called Layers). The article is totally free and showcases a lot of products and techniques that we use to save time and money over at RHED Pixel. I hope you enjoy.

Looking for a great screen capture tool? I’ve got a new favorite for grabbing video on a Mac. Be sure to check out iShowU from shinywhitebox. This tool is much more stable then others I've tried and it is a true universal application that runs great on both Intel and PowerPC Macs. What’s truly unique is that the video files are captured and encoded in real time. This means as soon as the capture is stopped, the file is ready to use. You can create screen captures for web tutorials, DVDs, or even HD. What will all this power set you back? A whopping $20. Be sure to check it out.

This one came up today when a client asked me about previewing Photoshop graphics on a TV monitor. There's a great product called EchoFire, which lets you preview out of Photoshop using virtually any video hardware. But if DV is good enough for you, then Photoshop CS2 has you covered.

1. Hook up a FireWire device that uses the DV protocol like a deck or Analog/Digital converter (I like ones from Canopus).
2. Make sure the hardwire is powered up and connected to a monitor, then launch Photoshop.
3. Work with your current document and design as needed.
4. Choose File > Export Video Preview...
5. Specify your Output Mode and Aspect Ratio and click OK.

Preview away

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have a listen if you'd like.

If you're a Photoshop fan, then we've got you covered. We've got two Photoshop podcasts you should check out.

• Understanding Adobe Photoshop – This is a weekly podcast targeting new and intermediate users of Photoshop in all industries. It's sponsored by Peachpit TV.
• Photoshop for Video – This one also comes at you every week and focusses on those issues facing video and motion graphic designers. Other kinds of users may enjoy its emphasis on speed and flexibility as well.
  
  By the way... we're not the only one's who like them. Apple has featured both on the front page of the Technology section in their New & Notable spotlight.

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

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

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

It’s finally shipping, my new DVD. If you need to use photos in your videos or film, you'll enjoy this new disc. I go very in-depth on how to create standard and 3D camera moves with photos.

Motion Control: Using Photoshop and After Effects To Tranform Still Images into Moving Footage
No longer locked to a stationary position on screen, your photos now possess distinct storytelling abilities.  Join Richard Harrington, Photoshop and motion graphics guru, as he reveals the top techniques used by pros to bring still images to life.  This DVD will benefit all users interested in improved storytelling abilities. You’ll learn essential techniques both in 2D and 3D space.

• Adobe Photoshop essentials
• Traditional two-dimensional motion control
• Using 3D cameras
• Working in 3D space
• Using 3D lighting to enhance your images
• Performing advanced camera operations
  

Bonus Features

• Original and processed images
• Adobe Photoshop and After Effects project assets

Estimated ship date is September 20th 2006. You can order it here.

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

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

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

Hope you all enjoy...

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

A few months ago, my new book on Adobe Photoshop was released. I'm not one for fancy titles... so I simply called this one "Understanding Adobe Photoshop." The book combined everything I learned teaching Adobe Photoshop to both college students and working pros, and it is targeted for both new users and those who are self-taught (having never taken a full college-level class).

The book is doing well (but of course... I'd be happy to sell more). It is very well-suited for classroom use as well with hundreds of hands-on exercises (including images) as well as 4.5 hours of training videos. Enough of my thoughts... what are others saying?
Read More...

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.

Thanks to Sheila Ward and DV Guru for the write-up on our Photoshop for Video podcast. We appreciate the link and turning people on to our show. If you've never checked out their site, have a look. Its a great community of bloggers posting on digital video and related technology.

Thanks to the fine folks at CMP Books, we've launched a new area of our site called Tips & Tricks (creative.. I know... its late). You'll find fourteen techniques that you can use in Photoshop and After Effects. While these tips are optimized for video use, you can easily adapt them for other purposes as well.

These tips come from the recent book, Broadcast Graphics on the Spot. So if you like them... consider getting the whole book.

Well, the new Photoshop book is several months away (my goal is NAB 2007). But I'd like to take some requests from you the reader. I've already received a lot of input for the next edition of Photoshop for Nonlinear Editors but I'd like even more. What topics would you like to see greater coverage on? Any techniques you'd like to see in-depth tutorials about? Now is your chance to have your voice heard. Leave a comment below on what you'd like to see in the next edition.

If you have great artwork (that you have the rights cleared on) or a tutorial you'd like to contribute, I welcome them. Contributors will receive fame, gratitude, and a free copy of the book. If you have something to share, drop me a line.

If you're sitting on the fence about buy now or later, don't. I always update the video training on the disc and get a ton of freebies like fonts and photos that are unique to each edition. Work your way through the current version on the book and by the time you're feeling comfortable, the new book will be out with in-depth coverage on the next version of Adobe Photoshop.

UPDATE: We've gotten requests for the following
• More HD
• Apple Motion and Adobe Premiere Pro coverage
• Mixing Aspect Ratios

Well... the masses have spoken. The new podcast is off to a great start.
• Apple and Yahoo accepted us into their listings
• We've cracked the Top 10 for Software How-To
• Apple has placed us in the First Row of their New and Notable section for Technology

The podcast is free... and we are moving into the fun topics in coming weeks (the early episodes focussed on technical issues).

Be sure to subscribe using the portal of your choice.

Richard Harrington is a featured guest on the Digital Production BuZZ show which airs live tonight (August 3). You can listen to the show live from 6-7 pm (Pacific) by visiting their website. This week's show features a live report from the UFVA conference to find out what "Storytelling for the Digital Age" is about. Then off to Newcastle Australia for "The Big Shootout" before heading back to find After Effects @ Work! There's also a great “BuZZ in Depth” segment that will look at the Net Neutrality debate - what it's about and what it might mean for video distribution.

The show is available by archive and podcast shortly afterward. Subscribe in iTunes and have the BuZZ delivered to your iTunes or, if you have one, iPod automatically every week.

To listen to the show, you can download the file from their site.

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

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

Friday, July 28,2006 Filed in: Adobe | Education
A brand new tutorial on building graphics for multiple video formats just went online. You'll find it on DV Magazines website in both online and print formats. Learn how to work in HD, but also create for multimedia, DVD, and Podcast distribution. This is useful in you need to generate multiple animations on a budget or deadline.

The tutorial uses Adobe After Effects, and is not version specific. If you'd like some extra resources, visit the Raster Vector site as well.

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

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

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

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

While at the National Association of Broadcaster's show, I picked up a copy of Zaxwerks' ProAnimator. This product is both a program and a plug-in. It is useful for creating animated text or logos. You can import Adobe Illustrator files, 3D models, or type original text in using any system font. It's fast and easy and give impressive results.
For more info.

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.

Download Mac
Download Windows