One Cool Turtle

Thanks to Beth for the great photo of her Turtle.

(Please keep sending them in.)

Enhancing Photos in Photoshop

Have you ever wondered why the Hollywood stars always look so perfect in the magazine photographs? Why is it they consistently look so good?

Their hair, teeth and skin always seem to be perfect and so beautiful. Is this the magic of stardom or Hollywood? No, this isn’t magic. It’s just Photoshop.

Photoshop is the same photo editing software program being used by professionals in the entertainment industry to make movie stars look younger, slimmer and better.

They have been doing it for years and now you can achieve the same results with a little training and practice using Photoshop for some of these same photo enhancements.

You can learn to make amazing enhancements to any photograph using the tools and functions available in Photoshop.

The following are just a few of the improvements you can make to people pictures.
Whiten stained teeth
Remove unsightly scars
Smooth age wrinkles
Clear up acne
Remove blemishes
Double chin removal
Fill in bald spots by adding hair
Open closed eyes
Remove tattoos
Hide body piercings
Change eye color

With Photoshop you can easily make yourself or anyone look better. You can even change the colors of the clothing people are wearing.

You will be amazed by the results you can achieve with Photoshop. You will not only be able to improve the appearance of people but you will be able to completely remove people from the photograph, add people from other photos or change the background.

Master these Photoshop techniques and you will be in demand for photo editing and graphic design projects.

People with these types of skills are in needed for photo retouching, web design work, logo design, advertising, and more. Not only can you have fun touching up your own photos but you could start a business doing photo enhancements.

Photoshop Fast Track makes it easy to learn how to find, install and use Photoshop plug-ins. Master The Basics Of Adobe Photoshop With My 2 Hour Easy To Use Photoshop Video Tutorial.

A Very Cool Way To Water Ski

This has to be the most expensive water skiing I've ever seen. Thanks for the picture Pete.

(He said it was taken in Mexico :-)

Finding and Using Photoshop Plug-ins

While Adobe does provide an all-inclusive solution for photo editing and digital graphics work it also supports the use of software programs designed to add additional features to Photoshop.

These software programs are usually called plug-ins. They are available from Adobe as well as other third party software companies.

Several special effects plug-ins come preinstalled with Photoshop and are automatically available inside the Photoshop plug-ins folder.

Photoshop tutorials like Photoshop Fast Track can teach you how to find new plug-ins and install them to Photoshop.

Photoshop plug-ins allow you to actually add the features available in other photo editing programs to Photoshop without having to open and use the other program.

You can find Photoshop plug-ins that allow you to use various filters for the purpose of special effects or tint or tonal adjustments.

These plug-ins work just like the filters you can purchase to add to your camera lens. You can find plug-ins that will turn your photo to black and white, increase or decrease contrast, soften details, enrich black tones, increase or decrease saturation, restore details or make an image appear old using sepia tones.

The benefit of using plug-ins for special effects is that you can quickly produce very professional results that would otherwise require multiple editing steps.

Plug-ins are popular not because Photoshop is not capable of all of these effects but because the plug-ins simplify the process by combining more difficult steps into an easy to use interface.

Whether you want to create the appearance of hand-tinted photographs or simply increase the vibrancy of colors in your image, by using Photoshop plug-ins you will quickly be creating amazing images like a professional photographer or graphic artist.

Photoshop Fast Track makes it easy to learn how to find, install and use Photoshop plug-ins. Master The Basics Of Adobe Photoshop With My 2 Hour Easy To Use Photoshop Video Tutorial.

Paint like Monet using Photoshop Paintbrush Tool

Learning to use the paintbrush in Photoshop is easy with Photoshop Fast Track. You will be creating original works of art within minutes.

The Photoshop paintbrush has more uses than you might imagine. When you get good with the paintbrush you will be able to create some awesome graphics.

Photoshop has two types of paintbrushes you will be using.

Airbrush
The first type of paintbrush available in Photoshop is the airbrush. This paintbrush tool is very much like using a can of spray paint. It virtually sprays the paint onto the image or canvas.

Photoshop gives the user maximum control by allowing you to adjust the diffusion or amount of pain being applied as well as the speed with which it is applied to the canvas. There are also many different brush sizes and shapes you can use.

Paintbrush
The paintbrush tool is more like using an actual paintbrush and applying paint by hand. Much like using a real paintbrush the virtual paintbrush in Photoshop applies paint in much more even distribution compared with the airbrush tool.

You will have fun experimenting with the different options available for creating digital works of art using the paintbrush in Photoshop.

The best thing about it is that you don’t have to worry about mistakes as you would on a traditional canvas using real paint.

This is especially true if you are working in layers. If you don’t like your results simply delete that layer and try something else.

Master The Basics Of Adobe Photoshop With My 2 Hour Easy To Use Photoshop Video Tutorial.

Quickly find the Images you need in Photoshop

Do you waste too much time trying to locate the image you want for use in a Photoshop project? Do you find yourself sorting through folder after folder only to open the image and find that it is not what you were looking for?

Did you know that Adobe’s Photoshop has all the tools you need to organize and manager your digital image files.

It is amazing how much time people can waste trying to find images because they are not familiar with the tools provided within Photoshop for organizing, managing and navigating images.

Photoshop makes it possible to not only view and sort your image files but also perform tasks such as creating new image folders, moving and deleting images, and renaming and rotating image files.

If you are still doing your digital image file management outside of Photoshop then you will be amazed at how easy these tasks can be in Photoshop without closing the application.

Photoshop also provides a snapshot of the specifications of each image including: the filename, date created, date modified, image format, height and width in pixels, as well as color mode and resolution information.

Another feature lets you see detailed data about an image file which is imported from your digital camera. This information will include ISO information, shooting mode, shutter speed and aperture as well as white balance data.

This data can be beneficial for documentation purposes or to help you in your study of exposure if you are an aspiring photographer.

Adobe Photoshop has it all covered even down to the management of your digital images. Because you can see thumbnail pictures of the images you are looking for you don’t have to guess as to whether you are opening the right picture.

Stop wasting time looking for images and start spending more time creating stunning images and graphic designs.

Don't forget to check out my Photoshop Newbie video Tutorials and learn how to master the basics of Photoshop in just 2 hours!

Over Worked Mouse

This is so cool... an over worked mouse. (Thanks for the photo Robert)

Amazing Photoshop - Wonders of Video Editing

Check out this video, it's shows some awesome examples of (video) editing in Photoshop (actually everything was done in Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Premier). Makes me want to rush over and open up my Photoshop now for a play... is there any cooler software than Photoshop? I think not!

Understanding Photoshop’s Color Modes and How to Use Them

The color modes and color models of digital imaging seem to be a mystery to many first learning to use Photoshop.

Many are so intimidated by the various color modes that they simply ignore the issue because they do not understand the impact color modes can have on the final printed image.

Color modes determine the color model that should be used to display and print digital pictures. Anyone serious about professional quality digital imaging should learn about the color modes and models and how to apply them in Photoshop.

Certain color modes are best for particular applications and so on. Most good Photoshop tutorials and training aids will teach user how and when to use which color modes for the best results depending on the particular project.

Before you even begin working with the color modes in Photoshop it is a good idea to have a basic understanding of what the color modes are and why there are different models.

Digital images are displayed using several different color modes. The following are the main basic color modes you will encounter when working with digital images.

RGB

RGB stands re Red Green and Blue. In the RGB color mode colors are created by mixing these three primary colors. You are basically working in three color channels in RBG mode and you can adjust the intensity of each channel to obtain various degrees of colors. White is made by combining all of the three colors.

CMYK

CMYK is for cyan, magenta, yellow and black. While RGB creates colors by mixing colors CMYK essentially creates color by subtracting varying degrees of each color. For example, if white is needed all colors would be reduced to zero.

Learning about the color modes will result in big improvements in your digital imaging work. Printers use CMYK color while monitors use RGB. This is why there is sometimes a difference in what you see on your PC monitor and what you see on paper.

Fortunately there is now software that you can install which will calibrate your monitor colors with your printer so what you see on your monitor is what you get when you print.

Master The Basics Of Adobe Photoshop In Under 2 Hours With Easy To Follow Instantly Accessible Online Video Tutorials. Full Details Here: http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/

Photoshop Pioneer David Biedny Launches Attention Photoshoppers!" Photoshop Podcast

New York, NY (PRWEB) August 24, 2005 -- Photoshop author and leading expert David Biedny has launched a new podcast show dedicated to covering the vast realm of Adobe’s popular Adobe Photoshop image editing software.

Attention Photoshoppers! includes segments on Photoshop related news, step by step techniques to using Photoshop for production and artistic creativity, Photoshop book and companion product reviews, technical analysis, historical anecdotes and interviews with Photoshop luminaries, authors, artists and developers.

"I really love the democratization and editorial freedom of the podcasting revolution," says Biedny, "Photoshop users are on the cutting edge of technological innovation, and a podcast show designed to educate and entertain Photoshop fans seemed like a natural progression of my work in media, imaging and education. There are so many great stories about the people and technology involved in elevating Photoshop to a verb in modern culture."

Attention Photoshoppers! is available through Apple’s iTunes, and http://attentionphotoshoppers.libsyn.com.

Biedny is a longtime author and editor in the world of technology publications, having served as one of the founding editors of MacUser magazine in the earliest days of the Macintosh computer, and his reviews, tutorials and opinion columns have appeared in a wide range of publications including New Media, MacWorld, The Macromedia User Journal, Morph’s Outpost, Details, ID and others.

He is currently a Contributing Editor for MacAddict magazine. Biedny coauthored The Official Adobe Photoshop Handbook (Bantam), the first Photoshop book ever published, and also coauthored Photoshop Channel Chops (New Riders), which has recently become the most valued collectible book in the world of technical trade publishing.

At Industrial Light and Magic, he created digital special effects for movies including “Memoirs of an Invisible Man”, “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”, “The Rocketeer” and “Hook”. Biedny was IDIG, Inc. Effects Supervisor for the motion picture “Spawn”, and directed the production of 35 digital effects shots in 35 days. His popular “The David Biedny Zone” segment can be heard on Gene Steinberg’s “Tech Night Owl” internet radio show.

Photoshop Movie

A short video example of someone's photoshop work...

Learning Photoshop - The Toolbox

Learning to use Photoshop does not have to be difficult...

...In fact, the more you learn about Photoshop and the wide range of applications available the more excited you will be about the possibilities for creating professional quality images and graphics for web sites, marketing materials and more.

The Photoshop toolbox is where it all happens. Almost every single thing you do in Photoshop will involve using tools from the toolbox.

Learning to use the Photoshop toolbox will require a good Photoshop tutorial but the following should give you an idea of the functions available.

The following are a list of the tools included in the Photoshop toolbox and their applications. This is not a comprehensive list but includes the most commonly used tools.

Marquee tool
This tool is part of the selection tool and allows the user to selections.

Move tool
The move tool is used to move layers and selected objects within the canvas.

Brush tool
The brush tool paints brush strokes.

History brush
You will want to learn to use the history brush tool as itcan take you back to the original state of the selection.You have a lot off fun with this tool. Once you learn to use it properly you will be amazed by the professional photo effects you can produce.

Eraser tool
This tool erases solid colored areas.

Dodge tool
This tool lightens areas of your picture selectively.

Burn tool
This took make areas on your image darker. Burning and dodging are techniques that were original practiced by photographers in traditional darkrooms for the purpose of lightening or darkening images.

Type tool
The type tool is used to put text on your image.

Type Mask tool
The type mask tool is a tool located on the toolbar that allows you to create a selection in the form of text ortype.

The real benefit of Photoshop over some of the lesser photoediting software applications is the toolbox. Many of the cheaper photo editing programs do not provide such a wide selection of tools allowing the user to have total control over the creative process. Photoshop puts total control over your final image in your hands. That is why so many professions use Photoshop.

Don't forget to check out my Photoshop Newbie Online Video Tutorials and learn how to master the basics of Photoshop in just 2 hours!

Happy Photoshopping,
David.

Another Very Good Photo

Thanks to Joanne for the great photo of her "long necked" cat :-)

(Keep sending please)

Deceptive Photography

Thanks to Eric for submitting this Photo. Let me know if you have any pics you'd like to see on the blog.

Making the most of Photoshop’s Selection Tool

There is no photo editing or graphic design project that you cannot accomplish using Adobe Photoshop if you are thoroughly familiar with the tools available.

The tool that seems to be necessary for nearly every application in Photoshop is the selection tool.

The selection tool isolates objects for the purpose of editing specific areas of your image without effecting the entire image.

The selection tool in Photoshop is actually four tools depending on your particular task. The selection tool includes the Rectangular Marquee Tool, the Elliptical Marquee Tool, the Single Row Marquee Tool and the Single Column Marquee Tool.

What can you do with the selection tool in Photoshop? The following are just a few examples of projects or applications you might being doing in Photoshop and how the selection tool can make your life easier.

Cropping

Cropping images requires that you use the selection tool to designate the section of the image to be removed or cropped.

Adding Text to Images

If you plan to add text to an image or graphic design you can also designate the area to add the text using the selection tool.

Isolated Color Work

Let’s say you want to adjust the saturation or hue of a particular object in a photography. The selection tool will allow you to isolate the object and then adjust the color as needed.

You can adjust the entire selected area or isolated color channels.

These examples are obviously a very small sample of the ways you might use the selection tool in Photoshop. In fact, the selection tool is used for hundreds of different photo editing projects or more.

The selection tool in Adobe Photoshop is probably one of the most important tools that you will use in your photo editing and graphic logo design work.

As you learn Photoshop be sure to develop a solid grounding in the use of the selection tool.

Don't forget to check out my Photoshop Newbie Online Video Tutorials and learn how to master the basics of Photoshop in just 2 hours!

Happy Photoshopping,
David.

Manipulating images with Photoshop

Here's another video showing the power of Photoshop to manipulate images:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6SLS8EPTPo

Using Photoshop to Touch Up The Celebrities

Celebrities "Photoshopped"...

Even Beginners Can Learn to Use Photoshop in Minutes Using Interactive Video Tutorials

We're in the Press... It appears that recognition for our Photoshop video tutorials is beginning to spread. Yesterday we started to appear in a few important news updates after a press release was issued.

You can find us at Google here and at Yahoo here and a few other important Photoshop sites have also mentioned us, like "Photo News Today" and other important Photoshop blogs.

You can learn all about the video tutorials yourself here:
http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com/main.html

Here's a copy of the press release:

"Anyone who has ever tried to learn Photoshop from an 8-inch thick manual knows that it can be overwhelming. Most, not knowing where to start, usually give up and move to a simpler but less effective application. According to David Peters of http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com it doesn't have to be this way.

November 3, 2006 -- Learn Photoshop Now has recently launched a new web site, http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com.

Even beginners can learn to use Photoshop in minutes using interactive video tutorials.

While Adobe Photoshop is by far one of the most powerful applications on the market today for creating impressive, professional quality graphics and manipulating photographic images, many are missing out because of they are simply intimidated by the program.

This immense program can be overwhelming and frustrating for new graphic artists and photographers just starting out, but it doesn't have to be. By breaking the elements down into manageable chunks even newbie users will start to feel more comfortable experimenting in Photoshop.

Anyone who has ever tried to learn Photoshop from an 8-inch thick manual knows that it can be overwhelming. Most, not knowing where to start, usually give up and move to a simpler but less effective application. According to David Peters of http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com it doesn't have to be this way. The mistake many newbie Photoshop users make is that they try to learn everything about Photoshop from a manual or book as opposed to learning by doing specific tasks.

That is why David recommends interactive tutorials for learning Photoshop. When a beginner starts with a Photoshop video tutorial that is tailored to a specific task such as removing red eye for example, not only does the user learn something useful, which gives a sense of accomplishment, but he or she is learning about important Photoshop tools and techniques that will apply to other projects and tutorials in the future.

Because the the user will instantly be able to actually use Photoshop for this task on a regular basis the learning is more likely to stick. Each time the user completes additional Photoshop tutorials his or her knowledge base and skills grow.

Many simple Photoshop tutorials can be done in as little as 4-5 steps, but the experience gained can easily give the user the tools for hundreds of other projects. Beginners should start with simple projects that are relevant to their immediate needs. Examples might include projects like resizing images, removing red eye, adding drop shadows and working with layers.

While learning specific tasks new Photoshop users will be learning various functions of the toolbar and many of these tools apply to hundreds of different techniques. The Internet is the perfect resource for finding quality interactive Photoshop tutorials.

For more information on learning Photoshop visit
http://www.learnphotoshopnow.com."