dekeSpeak
The Newsletter of Things Deke: March 08, 2011
Hello friends,
As usual, Deke has been deep-diving. And as much as he enjoys exploring the shallow waters of the digital domain armed only with a digital snorkel, this time he’s donning the electronic equivalent of scuba tanks to delve into the uncharted waters of 3D in Photoshop CS5 Extended. Facing a dearth of definitive information on those features, Deke is creating his own body of knowledge with some extraordinary demos, as well as a new course for lynda.com.
Photoshop CS5 has also been a watershed version for painting tools. This week’s tip reveals hidden features of the “brush engine” in Photoshop that allows you to make extraordinary artwork from scratch.
Here’s what’s in store for this edition:
- Deke’s Techniques: The newest video shows how to create 3D type with Repoussé in Photoshop CS5 Extended, taking you through the entire process from start to ray trace.
- Request your very own Deke’s Technique: Post a comment on Deke’s “I Want to Know Your Thoughts!” page, and you might just see it in an upcoming release.
- The groundbreaking Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Fundamentals video series nears course-launch on lynda.com.
- Explore the hidden secrets of Photoshop’s brushes in today’s in-depth tip.
As ever, Deke sends all his virtual love.
Best regards,
Lou B
Speaker of the Deke, dekeOnline
Deke’s Techniques: Create 3D Type with Repoussé
In case you’ve never heard of it, Repoussé is a command that lets you convert 2D layers into 3D inside Photoshop CS5 Extended. dekeOnline members have been asking Our Man to weigh in on the topic, and today he finally does. This week’s Deke’s Techniques walks you through the entire process of extruding 3D type, from casual beginning to dramatic end.
In case you missed it, last week’s Deke’s Techniques showed how to create a synthetic starfield. Plus, members of the lynda.com Online Training Library can watch two more videos on the topic of 3D, entitled “Casting 3D shadows and reflections” and “Adjusting 3D light sources.” They are thrilling. Please, if you will, check them out.
Next week: Independently masking highlights and shadows.
Ask and You May Receive, in a Future Deke’s Techniques
You can request your very own made-to-order video. Go to dekeOnline and post a comment on Deke’s “I Want to Know Your Thoughts!” page. It’s that simple. Before you know it, you may be watching a video inspired by you.
Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Fundamentals is on the Horizon
Deke has finished recording his exciting new course about the copious 3D capabilities included with Photoshop CS5 Extended, and it’s nearly ready for release. The course introduces you to the new frontier and vocabulary of 3D. Deke’s packed tons of information that you’ve probably never seen before into this concentrated 69-movie course.
As crazy as it might sound, Photosohop may well be morphing into a 3D editing environment, and Deke’s training will keep you ahead of the curve. To get an idea of what’s in store, imagine what it was like wrapping your head around layers and masks for the first time. Then multiply that by five.
Just for fun, here’s an image from a movie that Deke just recorded last night for his next course, 3D Objects. He hasn’t even blogged it on the site! It’s a special gift from me to readers of this newsletter:
(The bull model comes from Ryan Kittleson, the author of lynda.com’s upcoming ZBrush 4 Essential Training.) Keep watching here. I’ll let you know just as soon as Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Fundamentals is live on lynda.com.
Tip: Brushing-up on Photoshop’s Advanced Painting Tools
The “brush engine” in Photoshop offers tons of power, a small subset of which is employed by its basic brushes.
This in-depth tip will show you how to take the reins of the advanced painting tools in Photoshop to produce effective, naturalistic, expressive strokes that look not in the smallest way mechanical. Oh, and by the way, you folks who have been asking for some advise on using Wacom tablets with Photoshop, here you go.
This tip comes from Chapter 31, “Bristle and Mixer Brushes,” of the course Photoshop CS5 One-on-One: Mastery on lynda.com.
Featured Image from Fotolia
This week’s image, ©SSilver, is #1332675. It makes me think of Deke’s simulated starfield technique and the amazing visual effects in Stanley Kubrick’s 21: A Space Odyssey. It is available in a range of resolutions, perfect as a colorful background for your next composition. It also happens to be one of the most popular Fotolia downloads of the last 3 days.
Log on to Fotolia to view and download the image.
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.
“Hi, I’m Deke, and I approve this newsletter.”
Where to start??
Ok here is my story…...
At the start of next school year, I will be teaching Graphic arts in the high school. We have the CS5 suite and I need a starting point. We will be creating projects such as notepads, letterhead, envelopes, business cards and we will move into single color screen printing. Which program should i start with in the CS5 suite? I did buy the Illustrator cs5 video from lynda.com, but now I am wondering if this is the right place to start. Any suggestions??