Photoshop

Channels & Masks Video Lesson 2: "The Anatomy of a Mask"

Submitted by colleen on 4 January 2009 - 11:13am.

Beloved attendees of the dekeFestival, here is your second-helping of video goodness, "The Anatomy of a Mask," which I stole from Deke's new book, Photoshop CS4 Channels and Masks One-on-One. As Deke notes (and I'm completely plagiarizing him here), masks tend to intimidate a lot of people. But they’re really just the digital equivalent of the traditional stencil. Read more » 

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New Year's Treat: Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One Video Lesson 1

Submitted by colleen on 1 January 2009 - 2:35pm.

Happy New Year, dekeOmaniacs. To get 2009 off on the right foot, (and seriously, put that last insane bit of 2008 behind us), we've decided to share something special with you, our beloved community. Frankly, we can't thank you enough for all the love, humor, and patience you showed us last year. (Especially the patience during the month of December where we both pulled off the miracle submission of the book and reintroduced ourselves to our families who were wondering who those smelly if vaguely familiar people who were always chained to the computer screen were.) Read more » 

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Ho Ho Ho, Free Training for the Holidays!

Submitted by deke on 19 December 2008 - 12:00am.

A few weeks ago, when I was up to my ears in a certain Photoshop CS4 Channels and Masks One-on-One book (that will otherwise remain nameless), I was thinking, "Gosh, I wonder what kind of documentation Adobe provides these days?" I happened to have a copy of the Design Premium SKU of Creative Suite 4 sitting on my comically cluttered desk, so I opened the box and poured through its contents. There was very little there. The DVD box and some legal stuff. But nothing resembling a manual. In fact, the only thing that passed for printed documentation was a trifold that read "Learn CS4." So I opened it up and saw this:

A bare-bones sketch of how you can search Adobe's online resources for assistance. But then I looked closer, and right there -- smack dab in the center, on one of the folds -- I noticed this:

I mention this not to draw attention to myself . . . oh, to hell with that. Yes, I'm psyched that the one guy, out of about 50+ presenters who got a picture in the one-and-only, passes-for-printed-documentation trifold is me. I am and will forevermore remain flabbergasted.

But my larger point is that there's a world of altogether-free, check-it-out-today, online video training that I'm guessing most of you don't know about. And because it's the holiday season, when traditional people traditionally exchange gifts, I thought I'd traditionally do just that. Read more » 

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Giving It Up for the Family

Submitted by deke on 9 December 2008 - 4:16am.
My two knights

Episode 011: Ho ho ho, it's that time of year. When you begin to extract yourself from the professional objectives that have been sucking at your soul and turning your heart into a tiny lump of coal. And instead, you focus your attention to that one thing that gives you solace, The Family. The warm embrace, the smells of the season, the drifting snowflakes, the sounds of home. It does the heart good to know that comfort is waiting when you're finally ready to take a moment and enjoy. Read more » 

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Navigating the CS4 Adjustments Palette

Submitted by deke on 30 November 2008 - 11:01pm.

Adobe is very proud of the new Adjustments palette in Photoshop CS4. And I can see why. It permits you to access any and all adjustment layers--which rank among the most powerful and forgiving features in Photoshop--from a consistent and convenient launch pad. Plus, there's a small chance that the palette might encourage newbies to switch from static color adjustments to dynamic ones. Okay, so that's hopeful thinking but that's Adobe--always hopeful.

But as your representative in the Phar Phlung Phield of Photoshop Aphairs, I can likewise see how you, as a long-time Photoshop user, might not be so crazy about the Adjustments palette. The classic adjustment layer is one of those it-ain't-broken-so-don't-go-fixin'-it features. The dialog boxes were familiar and they worked just fine as was, thank you very much. From this perspective, quite frankly, the introduction of the Adjustments palette has gone and thrown a money wrench into everything.

The Adjustments palette

But here's the thing: Virtually everything that used to work still works. The shortcuts are different, but every one of them is still there in some way, shape, or form. The old functions are there, if displaced. In fact, just one actual feature has been put out to pasture (tho I hope to see it one day exhumed). And fortunately, we get something even better in return.

You know, on second thought, this might work better if you ask the questions and I just answer them. So shoot. Read more » 

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