dekeSpeak February 22, 2011

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The Newsletter of Things Deke: February 22, 2011

Hi all,

As this newsletter heads into production, Deke is at it again, in the studio recording all-new offerings for the lynda.com Online Training Library. When Deke talks tech, it just makes sense. His signature, One-on-One approach really works, whether it’s a bite-sized Deke’s Techniques recipe, or an in-depth course on Photoshop or Illustrator.

Here’s what’s in store for this edition:

As ever, Deke sends all his virtual love.

Best regards,

Lou B
Speaker of the Deke, dekeOnline

Deke’s Techniques: Reflections in Shattered Glass

Sounds poetic, doesn’t it? This week’s Deke’s Techniques shows how to create the credible effect of a woman singing so loudly into her mirror that she breaks the glass.

Deke's Techniques 8: Reflecting a Face in Shattered Glass

Deke is rolling out new 1-minute videos every week. Last week’s Deke’s Techniques showed how to blend textures onto a face. Up next: Find out how to create a synthetic starfield. A choice selection of Deke’s Techniques are available for free to anyone who visits deke.com or lynda.com. The entire series of Deke’s Techniques, including bonus videos, are available to lynda.com subscribers.

Don’t forget: you can request your very own technique. Go to dekeOnline and post a comment on Deke’s “I Want to Know Your Thoughts!” page.

And keep watching. Your request could be the next episode of Deke’s Techniques!

Miss Martini Hour Already?

Click here to see the first-ever listing of every episode of Deke-and-Colleen’s audio-only podcast, Martini Hour, vacuum-distilled into a single, post-Valentine’s Day article.

All 11 Martini Hours from One Convenient Location

By the way, you can still download the entire Martini Hour series via iTunes. Share episodes with friends, catch ones you might have missed, or hear your favorites over again. And don’t forget to raise your glass!

Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Fundamentals Coming Your Way

I mentioned that Deke is at the lynda.com studios working on a new video course. This one will be about Photoshop CS5 Extended’s 3D capabilities. And from what I can tell, it’s going to be amazing. Just take a looksee at this image of Saturn, rendered entirely from scratch in Photoshop CS5 Extended. And remarkably, it’s scientifically accurate!

Saturn as rendered in Photoshop CS5 Extended

Sick of competing with your fellow photographers? Try shooting images from your own private spacecraft. As many as you like, my friend.

It seems like a possible leg up. And it’s not all that hard. Don’t worry, I’ll let you know just as soon as Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Fundamentals releases.

Tip: Unleashing the Shadows/Highlights Command

The Shadows/Highlights command allows you to restore detail, breathe life into shadows, and tame highlights. Even though it’s grouped with color correction features, it’s actually a filter. If you’ve ever tried to use it in its default configuration, you’ve probably found the results to be less than satisfactory. In this tip, we’ll look at how to unleash the power of this extremely useful filter.

photoshop shadow highlights

This tip comes from Chapter 17 of Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Advanced from the lynda.com Online Training Library. The chapter also discusses automatic lens correction, sharpening on top of blur, smoothing with High Pass, and other techniques for managing shadows, highlights, and contours.

Read more »

Featured Image from Fotolia

This week’s image, © Andrey Armyagov, is #11535719, and is one of the many images you can find with the keyword “beginnings.” With Deke beginning the new 3D series and Spring around the corner, it seemed a fitting photo.

Log on to Fotolia to view and download the image.

fotolia image Andrey Armyagov

For the record, Fotolia offers the largest bank of royalty-free photos, illustrations, and videos perfect for any medium, whether print, motion, or web. Photographers and designers constantly update Fotolia with thousands of juried submissions each day. Fotolia protects its artists and offers high commissions while keeping prices low, so that everyone can enjoy and afford high-quality artwork.

Visit Fotolia »

“Hi, I’m   Deke, and I approve this newsletter.”

--Deke

Next entry:Deke’s Techniques 015: Building a Synthetic Starfield from Scratch

Previous entry:Shadows/Highlights Unleashed

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