Photoshop Insider

Here’s a shot I forgot to post from my sunset shoot at Cape Porpoise, earlier in the week (click on it to see a larger view). I’m going shooting near there again this afternoon with wedding and portrait photographer Scott Eccleston, who’s based about 30 minutes from where I’m staying in Maine, and kindly offered to take me shooting. Weather permitting, we’re going to shoot at two nearby farms, and a couple of his local favorite shooting locales. Even if the weather’s bad, we’ll still have fun!

OK, so I went back in much better light and got these two shots (they look MUCH better bigger, so click on each one for a larger view). I was waiting for the couple on the right to move out of frame so I could take the shot, but while I was waiting my wife climbed down on the rocks, and when I told her why I was waiting, she said, “I think they add to it.” Ya know, I think she’s right.

Although the light and color were much better, there were hardly any clouds in the sky during the reshoot (there’s always a tradeoff, right?), so I like the light and seeing more foreground here, but I prefer the clouds from the previous shot. Anyway, I had a great time shooting (the temperature was perfect and there was a wonderful breeze). I am just loving Maine—what a great place to spend a summer!

NEWS: Scroll down to the next post for my Wednesday News Brief.

Here’s a quick look at some news:

• nik Software released a new version of Define (their Photoshop plug-in for reducing photographic noise). The new version has improved noise reduction technology, the ability to selectively apply noise reduction to just certain areas, and an improved user interface. For more details (or to download a 15-day trial), visit their site.

• My Lightroom Tour is getting ready to head out on the road for the second leg of my tour, and my first stop is in Chicago (I love Chicago, which is coincidentally the home of Garrett’s Popcorn, perhaps the greatest food item known to man). The one-day tour comes to Chicago’s Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, and you can attend the full day for $99 (NAPP members; you go for only $79). You can get more info (or sign up) right here.

• Want to give Adobe some feedback on which particular features Photoshop features you’d like to be faster (filters, launching, resizing, etc.)? Then I encourage you to spend a few moments filling out this quick survey posted by Adobe’s Photoshop team, to let them know which areas affect your work the most speed-wise. Here’s the link.

• If you watch “Photoshop User TV,” here’s a tip: at the end of just about every show, after the credits roll, Jason (our video guru), adds a little “kicker” at the end (sometimes they’re outtakes, or just hilarious stuff he puts together), and this week’s is hilarious. Go back and check out the end of the past month or so’s shows (that Jason guy is pretty darn clever!)
• I get a lot of questions about the Photoshop World precon’s, so here’s a quick FAQ:
  
  Q: What is a precon?
  A: They’re limited size, half-day workshops and because they’re much longer, you get to really go in-depth on a topic you’re really interested in.Q: How long are they?
  A: Most run from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with a short break every hour.

  Q: Why are they called “precons?”
  A: These workshops are held the day before the actual conference begins, so they are “pre-conference.”

  Q: How many people are in each workshop?
  A: Usually between 50 and 100 (depending on room size).

  Q: How popular are these precons?
  A: Very! We generally have over 1,000 people taking these optional workshops, so they’re very popular. In fact, most workshops sell out in advance, and some are already selling out now.

  Q: How much do these optional workshops cost?
  A: If you sign up now; $89. If you show up at the door, (if a seat is available) it’s $99.

  Q. Is there a beginner’s workshop?
  A: Yup, (this year it’s a Layer 101 beginners class) and it’s always very popular because a lot of people want to start there, so they’re ready for the rest of conference the following day.

  Q: Where is there a list of the precons for Vegas?
  A: Right here.

  Q: Do people really ask this many questions?
  A: Only the fussy ones.

That’s it for today. Have a great Wednesday!

A few weeks back I mentioned that for Father’s Day my wife bought me the Gitzo Traveler Tripod, along with a Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ballhead, and I’ve had a number of emails, and some posts, asking about my experience with both.

I’ll start with the BH-40 ballhead, which is the first recipient of my new “Scott Thinks It’s Hot!” Award (as seen in the logo above, designed by NAPP’s creative director Felix Nelson as a takeoff on one of my other favorite logos; the “Hot Now” sign at Krispy Kreme). The “Scott Thinks It’s Hot!” award is kind of like this blog’s “Editor’s Choice” award or “Hot Pick” award, and will only be awarded to products or services that: (1) I fall hopelessly in love with, and (b) I actually use myself. So, if you see that logo on a product in my blog, it has to be just about perfect (well, to me anyway).

So, after a week with the BH-40 (the little brother of the BH-55), I’m in love. It feels and works like the BH-55 (my main ballhead), but without the size or weight (which makes it a perfect companion to my new smaller tripod). Despite its smaller size, it performed flawlessly, even with quite a heavy load, and its movement was smooth, fast, and responsive (just like its big brother). The BH-40 LRII sells for around $399, and although I usually buy all my gear from B&H Photo, to get Really Right Stuff gear you have to go directly to their Web site and buy from them direct.

Now, the other part of this “My week with” is my experience with my new Gitzo Traveler tripod. Overall, I really liked it, and it will definitely be my “on the road” tripod of choice from now on (unless I’m doing a photo workshop, and then I’ll bring out the “big guns” and take my Gitzo GT3540 Tripod Series 3 Mountaineer with my BH-55 Ballhead instead). Gitzo nailed the size/weight issue—the Traveler weighs less than I though it would, and it’s so small there’s no excuse for not taking it with you. As much as I fell in love with traveling with it, carrying it, and setting it up, for some reason I haven’t fallen in love with using it yet. I’m going to test it again this week, and I’ll let you know if my love for its light weight and size blossoms into true love, but so far, we’re still just dating. (remember, to get my “Scott Thinks it’s Hot” Award, a product has to be “just about perfect”).

Hey, one last thing: there are FIVE posts today, so scroll down to the next post.

This is a shot I took of the Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine taken on Friday during a daytime scouting shoot (click on it for a larger view). I broke ‘the golden rule of landscape photography’ by shooting in the middle of the day, but remember; this was just a scouting shoot to see if I could find a decent location to shoot the Lighthouse from. If I came up with a decent shooting spot, I would drive back and shoot it again another day in either at dawn or dusk, (but since dawn here is around 5:13 am and I’m on vacation…it would definitely be a dusk shoot).

Because of the cloud cover that day, the light wasn’t too harsh, but every time I look at that shot, I think to myself “Boy, if I had just shot that in good light….” Anyway, we had planned to head back up there Sunday for the reshoot (about 45 minutes from here), but a thunderstorm moved in around 1:00 pm that just wouldn’t go away, so that shoot was totally out. Maybe the weather will cooperate today. Either way—who cares—I’m on vacation. Whoo Hooo!

Please scroll down for another lovely post (how’s that for a formal sounding request)?

Not just shooting, but learning Lightroom, and Photoshop, and you’re not just shooting with me; the real stars of this show (and the other people you’ll be shooting alongside and learning from) are three of this industry’s most gifted, most talented, and fun digital photography instructors on the planet: Moose Peterson, Laurie Excell, and Joe McNally as the Digital Landscape Workshop Series (DLWS) heads to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

I am so honored to be asked back to teach a little with “Moose and the Gang” at this amazing workshop, which runs from Oct. 14-17, 2007 (if you register right now you can snag one of the few remaining spots, and before you know it you and I will be standing around, at the crack of dawn, coffee cup in one hand, tripod in the other, saying things like “I can’t believe I’m up this early,” and “I didn’t realize people got up this early” and other things you say in the dark at 5:00 in the morning).

I’ll be teaching a session called “The New Digital Photography Workflow using Photoshop and Lightroom,” and the whole workshop, from beginning to end, is not only an unmatched learning experience, and an incredibly inspiring event, but it’s just an awful lot of fun, so I hope you can make it. For more information, or to sign up, visit the DLWS web site by clicking here.

Hope to see you in Cape Cod! There’s still two more posts today, so scroll on down, Bunky!

“The Photoshop Guys” have a new TV studio, a new set and new look, and today we’re revealing our long-awaited our new official name, which is “Photoshop User TV” (produced by Photoshop User Magazine and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals–NAPP). S0, the name NAPP TV rides off into the sunset, as Photoshop User TV goes “On The Air!”

Now, because I’m on vacation I honestly have no earthly idea where they taped this show this past week’s episode, so I’ll be downloading it just too see what they came up with. When I get back from vacation, we’ll be putting the finishing touches on the new studio, and kicking off the new set and look, so I’m really excited to get back and see how it’s progressed, but since the name is now official, I thought I’d “spill the beans” here on the blog.

Thanks so much to all our viewers who’ve been so patient through our name changes, and we hope you enjoy our new look, new tutorials, new tips, new tricks, and the same ol’ cheesy jokes, delivered by the same ol’ cheesy guys.

Hey, how about some Quick Photoshop News? Then scroll down one more time.

Here’s a couple of quickies:

• Finally, there’s a free Photoshop plug-in that lets you upload photos directly from Photoshop to Flickr.com (albeit, one at a time, but hey—ya gotta start somewhere, right?). Click here to download the free plug-in (there’s one version for CS2, and an updated version for CS3).
• If you’ve ever struggled with understanding Histograms, check out this in-depth article called “Histograms, Huh?” from Aaron over at Single Serving Photo. Click here to go there.
• We’re taking our buddy (and Photoshop genius) Bert Monroy and his Photoshop Creativity Tour up to Canada starting, um…..well…. today, where he’s in Vancouver. But his next stops are in Calgary on the 18th; Toronto on the 20th; on to Montreal on the 23rd, and then wrapping up in Ottawa on the 25th. To catch Bert’s tour, visit PhotoshopSeminars.com
• Just a quick heads up if you’re into Lightroom: (1) We’ve added an entire track dedicated to Lightroom at the Photoshop World Conference & Expo coming up this September 6-8, 2007 at the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas (2) if you’re a NAPP member, you get a special 15% discount on everything you buy from the Adobe’s Online Store (for a limited time—visit the NAPP member homepage for more details), and of course you get Lightroom for just $199 ($100 off the retail price—not bad considering NAPP membership only costs $99).
• This isn’t Photoshop related, but you’ll get a good laugh out of this product that helps keep your iPhone or iPod from getting stolen, by hiding it inside a case that looks exactly like a Microsoft “Zune” MP3/Video player. It’ll only take a minute to visit “HideaPod”, but you’ve got to check this out to start your Monday off right. (Thanks to Larry Becker for sending me this one).

That’s it for today–thanks for stopping by!

My brother Jeff and I went shooting for an hour or so last night after dinner. The sky had great color but all the good clouds were pretty much behind us, but we had a blast just being together and shooting anyway. At one point, I took a shot, looked over at Jeff who was shooting nearby and said “I think I just qualified for the ‘Cliché Maine Harbor Shot’ Hall of Fame.” We stood there laughing until what was left of the good light went away.

Anyway, here’s a couple of shots from tonight’s shoot, (click on them for a larger version—if you dare).

Hi everybody. I’ve been really enjoying my vacation time off here in Maine, and my family is just loving it (I got this shot of my 17-month-old daughter the first day we got here–click on it for a larger version). The weather has been overcast (with gray skies every day), so I haven’t done really any outdoor shooting, and yesterday my brother and I played a great local golf course (it was nice and cool—unlike the swealtering heat of Tampa back home). However, today is just beautiful, and I hope to exploring the area today with camera in hand. It’s the first time I’ll be trying out the new Gitzo Traveler Tripod with the smaller “Really Right Stuff BH-40″ ballhead (the little brother to the world class BH-55) that my wife got me for Father’s Day.

Now, onto some news:

• You know how I love retouching sites, and this one is pretty cool. I found this site (from retoucher Rodrigo Bessane) from an Extreme Photoshop Retouching video he posted on YouTube, and I followed the link to his site. Although he’s not doing tutorials, just seeing what he retouched, and how the final image came out is an education unto itself, and definitely worth a visit (click right here).
• For the past few month I’ve been using X-Rite’s Eye-One Display 2 hardware calibration system (and loving it by the way—I wrote about it in my new “CS3 Book for Digital Photographers), and I just learned that they’re hosting a one-day seminar in various US Cities. It’s called the “Picture Perfect Color Seminar” and it’s taught by pro photographer Phil Nelson. For details on their tour, click this link.
• Corey Barker (The Photoshop Lad) has just released a new 21-day online course called “Adobe Illustrator Down & Dirty Tricks,” and if you’re an Illustrator user, you’ve got to check it out. It’s over at PhotoshopTraining.com
• Adobe’s photography evangelist George Jardine has just posted the latest installment of his Lightroom Podcast series, and this episode features an interview with Eric Scouten from the Lightroom Team. Check it out right here.
• I saw on Rob Galbraith.com where photojournalist David Honl (who I’ve mentioned here in the blog), has just come out with a really interesting looking set of dedicated flash modifiers (in fact, I might have to pick up a set myself—they really look helpful). I’d start with Rob’s article (there’s a really great photo of the modifiers there), and check out his article on it, and then if you want to pick them up, head over to David’s site. Here’s the link to Rob’s coverage.
• Want a little Thursday inspiration? Check out the photography of John Lehet (I was turned on to his work by a NAPP member named Harold [he didn’t give his last name]). It’s a nice way to start your Thursday.

Well, breakfast is here, and I’ve got to run. Have a great Thursday everybody!

-Scott
Your “Maine” Man!