Tuesday Photoshop Insider News Stuff
Dec. 30
1:29 am
Hi everybody. It’s Tuesday and 2008 is almost in the bag. Here’s what’s up:
- A lot of people have been asking me for an update on how I feel about my Apple MacBook Pro now that I’ve had it for a while, and basically here’s where I’m at: I’ve gotten over the glossy screen thing. I’ve calibrated it a few times now and while the glossy screen is a bit more contrasty, it really hasn’t caused any problems (and maybe that’s because I’m compensating a bit, knowing that my screen looks more contrasty than the final images). My prints from both my Epsons, and from MPIX.com are coming out fine, so the glossy issue isn’t as big an issue as I thought (though if I could get this MacBook Pro without the glossy screen—-I would). The trackpad is still a real issue for me, and frankly it drives me nuts about a dozen or more times a day. I wish Apple would give us a way to turn gestures off, but as best I can tell—there is none. The two reasons I decided to stick it out with this model are: (1) The nVidia graphic card makes Photoshop CS4 zoom faster than I’ve ever seen Photoshop go, and (2) I doubt Apple is going back to matte screens, or bringing back a trackpad button, so I’m going to have to get used to it sooner or later, and I might as well just get used to it now. So, that’s where I’m at; I’m not thrilled, but I’m adjusting.
- Thanks to PhotographyColleges.org for including this blog in their list of the Top 100 Photography Blogs. Here’s the link to their full list.
- Want to see some cool Photoshop post production retouching? (Not so much portrait retouching—just retouching). Check out Ciklopas Photography Studio, and then when you get to their site (click here), click on the Post Production link on the left side of the page, and then toggle through their different projects. Very well done.
- Dave Cross had my buddy Terry White as his guest last week for his popular “Finish The Sentence” feature. Here’s the link to check it out.
- This I love: Go check out this Web site for a spa in Aspen, Colorado. They’ve got a pretty darn fabulous landing page presented in a simple, yet dramatic way that I haven’t seen before. Beautiful photography beautifully presented, even if it’s just for a few moments. Worth a quick look (here’s the link).
- PROGRAMMING NOTE: I’m taking New Years Eve off along with New Years Day, but I’ll be back with more wholesome goodness on Friday the 2nd. Here’s wishing you all a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year!
See you guys next year! 
-Scott
Hey,
If you would like to se some high-end retouching and image construction you really gotta stop by this page. Hope you like it, this guy is one hell of a wizz with a computer
http://www.taylorjames.com/cgi-retouching/index.html
Happy new year to you Scott and thx for a year with a good blog keep it coming next year
Check out the latest MAC V PC debate here
http://rockhoppermedia.blogspot.com/2008/12/mac-v-pc-final-battle.html
Thank you for the cikoplas site nice to subtle photoshop,
Rich
Scott — I checked out the Ciklopas Photography retouching link you posted. As you said, the retouching was very well done, although I found the VERY SLOW transitional fades showing each retouching step quite annoying as it made it difficult to actually see what was being done.
Mark Beckelman
I actually had the same thought. It makes it hard to see what changes from images to images.
>My prints from both my Epsons, and from MPIX.com are coming out fine….
But do they match the display? Do they match your higher end, desktop display? Fine isn’t quite the term I was looking for before making a jump on a new MacBook Pro. The glossy screen is still a deal breaker for me.
Can’t figure out where to post this question/rant, but thought I’d try here. My comments relate to photojournalism, and specifically to the photographers covering the slimeball Madoff. I watch CNBC and they continually show a clip of photographers violently pushing Madoff back so that they can get a picture. One can only imagine the expression that results in. Is this considered acceptable behavior? Would seem the photo, as captured, is at least in part “staged” due to the intervention of the photographer into the scene. Would think that would be similar to intervention by post-processing, a much hotter topic of late.
And please do not take this as any support for that thief.
If anything, it is quite rude to push someone around to get a picture. However, my opinion is coming from my one semester of experience in the high school newspaper photography department.
You bring up an interesting point about that being staged. While I haven’t seen the video, I would think that it is staged. I always operated as an observer and got myself into locations where I could get a good angle and show what was going on - this did not include pushing, shoving, or staging.
Hi Scott - was there ever any traction for an “official” written communication from NAPP on behalf of its members to Apple regarding the new screen and trackpad / gestures issue that it was creating / is creating and requesting, at minimum, as a courtesy to Apple’s many photographic users a way to turn off gestures? I’d favor an inclusive CC list including the relevant VPs and - this is critical: board members. If you want to see action from senior management at a company, create a situation where a board member is going to ask them about it.
Interesting to see all this links from PhotographyColleges.org. But they are all Americans, where are the French or Chinese or Swedish or Spanish or South Africans or …
How is Lightroom different from Elements? Do they integrate. Thank you, robert
Hi Scott,
I cannot believe Apple got rid of the trackpad button. That will drive me absolutely nuts! I am glad my MacBook Pro is still under a year old… I won’t have to upgrade for awhile. So hopefully they bring it back or have time to get the gestures worked out before I have to upgrade.
In the mean time you can try using MultiClutch. It is a new software tool that allows you to map keyboard shortcuts to gestures. The nice thing is that it also allows you change the mappings of other gestures… so if you have a gesture that you are always doing by accident you can remap it to do nothing so that when you accidentally do it nothing will happen. The link to the web page for MultiClutch is here: http://wcrawford.org/2008/02/28/everytime-i-think-about-you-i-touch-my-cell/
Enjoy!
Hi Scott - some good news from today’s Macworld Keynote in S.F. The revised 17″ MacBook Pro has the same design as the 15″ but from the start they are offering it with an “anti-glare” option in addition to the glossy screen. I know many have been vocal about the glossy-only approach to the MacBook and the 15″ MBP and the 24″ display that replaced the 23″ matte Apple Cinema Display. I hope we see the anti-glare option made available for the other glossy products.
On the not-so-good news side, it’s the same large glass button-less / it’s all a button trackpad.
Hi Scott - one additional follow-on to noting the matte option for the revised 17″ is that there is a company providing a matte screen change out for the new 15″ MacBook Pros for $199. The vendor - TechRestor - link is in this posting on MacRumors:http://www.macrumors.com/2009/01/07/mwsf-tidbits-modbook-pro-matte-screens-tune-blocker-gorilla-pod/
Hi Scott -
RE: <>
At first sight very pretty indeed, but press F5 (I mean refresh) and notice the low-res sky. Completely out of sync with the landschape. A fine ‘photoshop gone bad’ example if there ever was one, wouldn’t you say?
ehm… somehow the text between disappeared. This comment was about the website for a spa in Aspen that you mentioned.
http://aspenclub.com/