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Photoshop CS6 Sneek Peek #3

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Here’s another sneak peek from the Photoshop team

** Update March 22, 2012**

I’ve out all the Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks Together on the Axiom Adobe Site

Tags: Adobe, Photoshop, Sneek Peek, Tips And Tricks
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Sorry I’ve been in a bit of a work coma and not keeping up with the site very well. I’ve got some new stuff for youÂ – here’s a post about the new “Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks” that I did over on the Axiom site.

So.. what do you think?

Tags: Adobe, Photshop, Software, Tips And Tricks, Training
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Photoshop compositing and the never ending road

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Mastery doesn’t mean you’re done learning

Are you a “Photoshop Expert” or “Guru” ? *shudder* When was the last time you edumacated yourself? (yes. the spelling is deliberate)

The image on the left is of a composite I’ve been working on for class. I will play with more features when makingÂ “random art”. I’m a big fan of the Photoshop Disasters site. It kills me that some of those images manage to get the the approvals process all the way to final print without anyone going… “Wait!Â What the hell is that!“. I don’t have the same time pressures that they do and am grateful for it (one of the many reasons why I’m a software trainer and not a production artist). However, some of the mistakes that you’ll see are just nuts. Basic anatomy people. Normal human elbows don’t attach at the chest – It’s not that hard!

So… back to the purple fantasy picture… I don’t have any specific class that is if going to use those images – I just need to keep my hand in and work on all the techniques that I want my students to know.

There are specific tutorials I will sometimes use, and I need to work through those regularly too. Nothing, however, beats the value of grabbing some images on whim (bless you fotolia) and trying to make something out of thin air. I urge you to dig thru the stock photography database at your favorite site (I cannot give the Fotolia people enough love) and look for an image that captures your imagination. In this case it was the dancer and the purple background that did it.

Ok, Kirsten, we get it. So why the rant?

Someone recently expressed surprise that I have a Lynda.com membership. They said something to the effect of “but I thought you taught this stuff?” Yes, I do and have for over a decade. I also go to the NAPP website,Â Deke.com, have an RSS feed of tips and tutorials a mile long, and have a bookcase of software manual that takes up most of one large wall.

It’s simple – you’re never done

I’m well known for having three-too-many resources for people at the end of class. I have books and videos I recommend along with the names of people who are always worth listening too. There’s a reason I have that information – I’m a student too. Any technical trainer (heck, any teacher at all) will tell you that the best way to master a subject is to teach it to someone else. It’s true. It’s also true that you don’t really know a subject if you can’t explain it to someone. My favorite quote is on my desktop so I see it every day,Â “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough -Â Einstein”.

Please don’t get caught up in the “I know that already” trap. I was fortunate enough to go to Photoshop World when it was last in Boston. Most of the classes I took covered things that I teach in class regularly – and yet I got a TON out of going. I got to see other trainers work, which is extremely valuable, and picked up lots of new ways of getting a topics across to an audience.

It’s scary to know that there is no end to what you can learn. Sometimes it seems like there’s too much to take in.Â I won’t lie – I sometimes curse Adobe’s release schedule, but focus on the positive. Every new features gives you a new toy to play with. There are so many fun, amazing things you can learn – become a master of – that you can pick and choose what suits you best.Â