Well, it’s been a busy week. Tuesday, I recorded Chapter 15, “Lighting Your Scene,” of my upcoming video course Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Scenes, which should be out sometime in May for my video publisher lynda.com. In this chapter, we transform this base Maya model, created by a member of lynda.com’s rockin’ graphics department, Paul Roper:

… into the following piece of photo-realistic artwork. (Click the image to let its 3D loveliness consume your screen.)

I had a gas working on this chapter. Highlights include lighting up the bulb inside the lamp and setting the four can lights in the ceiling, not to mention turning the walls into mirrors, making those mirrors reflect the lights, adding a texture to the bedspread, creating the polished hardwood floor, and adding photographic moonlight to the windows.

Lighting a 3D scene is every bit as challenging (and rewarding!) as setting up studio lights in the real world. I’m reminded of this by my activities on Wednesday, in which I and my terrific crew lit and recorded a handful of live-action videos on Adobe’s upcoming Photoshop Touch apps for the iPad. You may recall my last post, in which I cursed the nakedness of my waxed hands. (In fact, the main reason I’m writing this post is to get that ugly image off the top of the page.) And you’ll be glad to know, the hand modeling went very well. In fact, I was congratulated by one and all for possessing the hands of a 21-year-old metrosexual.

Okay, no one actually said that. In fact, I was roundly mocked and ridiculed. But the videos look great.

The Photoshop Touch videos will be out in May as well, when the apps release. Just as April showers bring May flowers, my April churnings will bring May learnings.

Isn’t that clever? Yeah, I didn’t think much of it either. Enjoy.