Although tutorials are not a featured aspect of McMahon's blogspot, he has posted 3 online tutorials that he produced for Creative Cow. Here's the breakdown (links go to Franklin's individual blog entries where you'll find a link to each Creative Cow tutorial page):

Free Photoshop Tutorials - CS2 Secrets - Compositing
"Here is part one of a three part series of videos I produced for Creative Cow on Photoshop called CS2 Secrets. This one covers photo compositing in Photoshop CS2 with details on the place command as well as photo merge. Some very cool techniques if you work with photos."

Free Photoshop Tutorials - CS2 Secrets - Animation
"Did you know you can do animation in Photoshop CS2? Here is part 2 of my 3 part video tutorial on Photoshop CS techniques focusing on Photoshop Animation."

Free Photoshop Tutorials - CS2 Secrets - Photo Effects
"This video tutorial centers on adding dramatic photo effects to your images, adding accents as well as highlighting different areas. Tools covered include mask mode, blur, selective blur, sharpen, dodge, burn and the fiber render engine."

If you have an anxiety attack because you don't know how long the tutorial will last, just hover your mouse over the bottom of the video window and you'll see a slider that reveals the length of the clip, plus a volume control.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:01 AM ET | permalink | send comments

Photoshop Tip: Unlocking Multiple Layers
Do you have multiple layers locked and want to quickly unlock all of them? To target each layer, Command-click (PC: Control-click) or Shift-click on them. Then choose Layer>Lock Layers (I know, it sounds weird but bear with me). Uncheck the all checkbox and all targeted layers (that are locked) will be unlocked.

reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:01 AM ET | permalink | send comments


JULY 22 2005

I Cover The Waterfront...

Here's my latest collection of assorted Photoshop tips, tutorials, news and tidbits...

Plugin People: Interview with Alex Hunter
From Graphics.com: Is plugin creation an art or a science? Harald Heim talks to the author of the Photoshop plugin generation tool FilterMeister in Plugin People: Interview with Alex Hunter.

Photoshop Team Photo Tour
From PhotoshopNews.com: Jeff Schewe takes you behind the scenes in a rare glimpse of the 10th floor, West Tower of the Adobe offices in San Jose, where Adobe's Photoshop Team work and play.

Changing Hair Color in Photoshop
From Graphics.com: In Changing Hair Color in Photoshop Denny Tang provides a technique for changing hair of any color to a different one. Convincing results are not as difficult as you might think.

Framed & Exposed: When More is Less
From Creativepro.com: High contrast usually makes for a good photo, but for those times when too much contrast detracts from an image's subject, there's Photoshop. Ben Long shows easy ways to tone down a tonal range.

Mastering Image Exposure Corrections in Photoshop
From Graphics.com: It's important to do your exposure corrections in Photoshop first, before any other corrections or effects. Read this informative article by Ken Milburn, adapted from Digital Photography: Expert Techniques.

Using the Background Eraser
From Graphics.com: Orion Williams demonstrates how to make selections using Photoshop's Background Eraser tool.

GUIdebook's Comprehensive History of Photoshop
From Daring Fireball: "Marcin Wichary has put together over 1,000 screenshots of Adobe Photoshop, ranging from version 0.63 running on System 7 to version CS2 running on Mac OS X 10.4 and Windows XP (although just about all the screenshots in-between are taken on various versions of Windows).

posted by Jennifer Apple at 1:16 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

AKVIS LLC Releases AKVIS Coloriage V.1.3

AKVIS LLC announces the release of AKVIS Coloriage V.1.3, an image processing software for quick colorizing of B&W photos and replacing colors on color photos. The plug-in is very easy to handle. After you mark areas of a photo with a virtual colored pencil, the program recognizes the borders of the area to be colorized and paints in the new color. Multiple areas of a photo can be treated at the same time, each with a different color.

New to Version 1.3 are additional options of the Erase tool, a feature for drawing straight lines and segments, and an improved Installation Wizard.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 1:17 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Foundation Fita 2nd International Prize For Digital Art

Jordi Colomer from the Fita Foundation sends this in: I think it would be interesting for artists to know about the Foundation Fita 2nd International Prize for Digital Art - 2005. The theme is Maternity. The prize is 5.000 euros (aprox. $6,400 USD) for the best work.

You can find the rules and how to submit at the Fita Foundation site.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 1:18 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 21 2005

Introducing Xtivity - A Professional Macromedia Flash (SWF) Authoring Program

Tivity Software have just released a new Flash authoring program called Xtivity. This is a professional grade authoring program that has much of the functionality of Flash, but is unique in that it does not require the user to develop using any form of coding. Instead the user develops interactive SWF projects in a layout program style workflow. This is a good solution for designers and others who don't have the time to fully understand Flash development.

Xtivity also has many unique features, such as saving to the SWF file standard, offering streaming video and audio, and importing and exporting SWF files to and from Flash. It also includes a full featured text editor, and it directly imports Photoshop PSD layers. If you edit your Photoshop file, you can automatically flow these changes into Xtivity, and each layer in your project is updated for you. Xtivity also directly imports and converts MP3, WAV, MOV and AVI files ready for the web.

Find more info - and a 30-day trial version - at the Tivity Software site.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:56 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Alien Skin Software Ships Eye Candy 5: Impact

Alien Skin Software have announced the release of Eye Candy 5: Impact, a set of 10 plug-in filters for Adobe Photoshop and other compatible host programs. Impact creates chrome, bevels, glass buttons, perspective shadows, and more. The third of three upgrades to Eye Candy 4000, Impact features three new filters — Backlight, Brushed Metal and Extrude — and seven reincarnated Eye Candy classics.

The estimated street price for Impact is $99. Registered users of other Alien Skin Software products receive discount pricing when ordering direct. Online delivery is available at the Alien Skin site.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:26 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Photoshop Tip: Turn Off Font Preview

Is the WYSIWYG font preview really annoying you? It's just one of those things - some people love it and some hate it. Well, if you're part of the latter group you can turn it off. However, doing so isn't very intuitive since there's no "Turn off Font Preview" setting. Press Command-K (PC: Control-K) to display the Preferences dialog box. Choose Type and uncheck Font Preview Size. This turns the font preview off altogether.

reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:03 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 20 2005

Advanced Photoshop CS2 Video Tutorial Sample Clip From Total Training - Exposure Command

Below is a link to a sample clip from Advanced Adobe Photoshop CS2 hosted by Deke McClelland. In this Masters Collection Series of video-based training, host Deke McClelland provides more than 8 hours of detailed instruction for advanced Photoshop topics.

Exposure Command
In this sample clip you'll learn how to work with 32 bits of data per channel, and how to modify the brightness and contrast of an image using the Exposure Command.
See the Exposure Command Filter video tutorial.

Bonus — Total Training Special Discount Coupon
Total Training is offering a limited time 15% Off Discount. To apply this to a purchase, follow this link, and at checkout enter the following code: save15aff.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:02 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Master Colors For Windows Due This Fall

Due to the success of the Master Colors HVC Color Composer for the Macintosh, Master Colors has moved up the release date for the Windows Version from November '05 to October '05. "The windows community has been clamoring for the HVC Color Composer Windows Version ever since the Mac Version's release in January '05 at MacWorld San Francisco," says Neil Murphy, Vice President Sales & Marketing.

For more info about this product, there's an informative, in-depth article (in PDF form) about the HVC Color Composer titled: "Web Design – Beyond 216 Colors, Outside the Web-Safe Palette" that you can download at the Master Colors site.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:16 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Graphicxtras.com Update All Their Plugins

Graphicxtras.com have released a major update (PC only) to all their 190 Photoshop/psp plugins, which are available as a special package deal or as individual, themed volumes. The plugins feature many new effects and effects modes, a new save and preset feature, updated dialogs, modifications to categories and more.

For details and pricing visit the Graphicxtras.com site.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:16 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Graphicxtras.com Release New Brush Collection

Graphicxtras.com have released a collection of 100 'line' themed brushes for Photoshop CS2, CS, 6, 7 and Elements 1, 2, 3 for PC and Mac and OSX. The cost is $6. This collection contains many unusual line themed brushes, blurry brushes, realistic brushes and more. All the brushes are high resolution and all royalty-free.

For more info see the bottom of their brushes collection page.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:16 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 19 2005

Huge Leap Forward For Photoshop Cut-outs With Vertus’ Fluid Mask

[press release mashup] A new Photoshop plug-in tool has been released which takes image masking and cutting-out to new levels. Vertus’ Fluid Mask is a tool that allows a user to accurately cut out objects from images in a matter of seconds. It's based on breakthrough technology which is similar to the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing.

When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask’s engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups according to the content of the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and texture a model is constructed which divides the images into regions.

The initial processing of the image provides data which is used as a management layer, called the Image Information Layer (IIL). Fluid Mask is unique in the way it creates and works on this image information layer, making the process of masking and cutting out images faster and more accurate.

Read the full press release (inlcudes a link to demos, tutorials, a free trial, and a really big photo of that frog).

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:56 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Save $110 On Photo/Graphic Edges 6.0 & Mystical Lighting

Purchase Mystical Lighting and Photo/Graphic Edges 6.0 together for $249 - a savings of $110. To make the deal even better, Auto FX includes the training cds for both products (which are normally $29 each) for free. This offer expires July 30th, 2005.

Learn more about this bundle special.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:16 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

ABRviewer - A Photoshop Utility Open Source Project

Luigi Bellanca, a freelance software developer from Palermo, Italy sends this in: "I'd like to submit to your attention an open source software that I've just released: ABRviewer. It is a utility for previewing one set or multiple sets of brushes generated by Adobe Photoshop (.abr files). If you think it can be useful, please send me a line with your comments and/or your requests for new features. Thank you."

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:56 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Photoshop Tip: Getting Back Your Last Selection

If you make a selection, deselect it, then go on about your business and later realize that you forgot to save that selection, you can get your last selection back, as long as you haven't made another selection. Just go under the Select menu, choose Reselect, and the last selection you made will reappear.

reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:03 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 18 2005

Advanced Photoshop CS2 Video Tutorial Sample Clip From Total Training - Liquify Filter Warp Tool

Below is a link to a sample clip from Advanced Adobe Photoshop CS2 hosted by Deke McClelland. In this Masters Collection Series of video-based training, host Deke McClelland provides more than 8 hours of detailed instruction for advanced Photoshop topics.

Liquify Filter Warp Tool
In this sample clip you'll learn how to work with the Liquify Filter Dialog Box, and how to use the Liquify Filter's Warp Tool to make subtle adjustments to an image.
See the Liquify Filter Warp Tool video tutorial.

Bonus — Total Training Special Discount Coupon
Total Training is offering a limited time 15% Off Discount. To apply this to a purchase, follow this link, and at checkout enter the following code: save15aff.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:06 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

Adobe Bridge Updated To 1.02

Adobe Bridge 1.0.2 is available only as a direct download from the Adobe site, and will not be available from the Adobe Updater from within Adobe applications. This release includes overall improved stability and performance, and is recommended for all Adobe Bridge users.

Go to the Adobe Bridge for Mac download page.
Go to the Adobe Bridge for Windows download page.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:03 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

PhotoshopCafe Releases Photoshop Secrets: Photoshop CS2 For Digital Photographers

PhotoshopCafe.com has announced the availability of Photoshop Secrets: CS2 For Digital Photographers. This new CS2 Training video is by internationally known trainer and best-selling Author Colin Smith. The three and a half hour video teaches photographers how to process their images using an efficient and professional workflow. Other sections deal with correction, repair and enhancements.

Read the full press release.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:02 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 15 2005

Advanced Photoshop CS2 Video Tutorial From Total Training

Below is a link to a sample clip from Advanced Adobe Photoshop CS2 hosted by Deke McClelland. In this Masters Collection Series of video-based training, host Deke McClelland provides more than 8 hours of detailed instruction for advanced Photoshop topics.

Surface Blur Filter
In this sample clip you'll learn how to use the Surface Blur Filter for photo retouching, and how to adjust the Threshold and Radius values to control your blur.
See the Surface Blur Filter video tutorial.

Bonus — Total Training Special Discount Coupon
Total Training is offering a limited time 15% Off Discount. To apply this to a purchase, follow this link, and at checkout enter the following code: save15aff.

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:02 AM EDT | permalink | send comments

New Photoshop Brushes From Kirsty

Kirsty sends this in: "Another new brush set has been added to the site: Japanese women. Go check it out. Enjoy your summer!"

posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:02 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 14 2005

• Photoshop Top Support Issues
Tryout Versions Request A Serial Number (InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop CS2 tryouts on Windows)
Issue: After you download an Adobe product tryout, you are prompted to enter a serial number.
Detail: This problem occurs with Adobe InDesign CS2, Adobe Illustrator CS2, and Adobe Photoshop CS2 tryouts.
Solution: Extract the downloaded zip file and then install the tryout.

Just Get Started
Not: I can't write this speech until inspiration hits.
Instead: I'll write what first comes to mind, then improve it later.

Look at What You Have Accomplished
Not: I have hardly made a dent in all there is to do.
Instead: I have reviewed my lecture notes and read 3 chapters. That won't guarantee me an "A", but it's more than I did yesterday.

Be Realistic!
Not: I should be able to work full-time, take 4 classes, be president of the Esperanto Club, spend more time with friends, and play tennis 2 hours a day with no trouble at all.
Instead: I have limits. I can take on fewer responsibilities and still like myself.

Yes, it sounds so simple.
Read the Techniques To Manage Procrastination — and stop putting off learning Photoshop.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:01 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 13 2005

• Adobe GoLive CS2 - Free Video Tutorial Clips
Our sister site, GoLive 911, is offering 5 exclusive video clips courtesy of Total Training. The sample clips are from the just released Total Training For Adobe GoLive CS2.
In the full program host Lynn Grillo (an Adobe Application Engineer) provides detailed instruction of advanced GoLive CS2 topics including page building with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), image maps, forms and tables, and editing DHTML, JavaScript, JS, ASP, and PHP source code. An entire hour is dedicated to Web design tips and tricks.
Watch the free GoLive CS2 video clips.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:02 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


• Sparkler Art!
From Boing Boing: "These sparkler artists left their cameras' shutters open while drawing elaborate pictures in the air with their Fourth of July sparklers. The results are fantastic."
View the Flickr Photoset.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:03 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


• Photoshop Tip: Better Grayscale Conversions
Using the Channel Mixer is a great way to convert a color image to grayscale, but it does take some experimentation. Another way to do this (with less control but excellent results) is to convert your file to Lab mode. In the Channels palette, just click on the Lightness channel, and then change the mode to Grayscale.
reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:03 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 12 2005

• Five Questions With Deke McClelland
Last week, courtesy of Total Training, I had a chance to ask Deke McClelland five questions about his involvement with Photoshop. And here's what transpired...

How did you get involved with desktop graphics and more specifically, how did you get started with writing books and hosting videos about Adobe Photoshop?
After failed careers bussing tables at Mr. Steak, unpacking dresses at Marshalls, and loading trucks for UPS, I had to do something. I always wanted to go into computer graphics. Problem was, I hated computers.

Then in 1984, my mom borrowed a Mac and an ImageWriter from the school where she taught, and I had a change of heart (or was it h'art?). A week later, I integrated my Macintosh scribblings into a week of comic strips that I wrote for the local newspaper and sold for $12.50. (An example is below. Hey, gimme a break, I was 21.) Bert Monroy and Jack Davis and I like to argue about who sold the first piece of Macintosh artwork, but I know one thing: I got paid the least.



After that, it was blind luck. Based on the comic strip, I got a job at the newspaper. Then I put together a portfolio, moved to a service bureau, got talked into creating a book for walk-up customers (for which we charged $2.50 a copy), and — big leap here — sold it to a major educational publisher for $10K. At 24, I was mistaken for an expert. Deathly afraid of returning to Mr. Steak, I exploited the book racket for everything I was worth. Turned out to be a lot of fun, so I stuck with it.

The videos were different. In the late '90's, I was a bit of a commodity. A handful of video companies approached me, and my default answer was no. Then a fellow named John Bell approached me in an unusual way — in person. John had this little two-man outfit, Total Training, with a better idea — focus on quality. I liked it. By then, I had been involved in enough crank-it-out "product." So I told my publishers I was going on an extended vacation and flew out to the home of the other partner, Brian Maffitt. To say Brian and I hit it off immediately is to truncate the meaning of the word. More accurately, we hit it off "imm." Within a few weeks, we had assembled a series of hands-on exercises that were expansive enough to fill 20 VHS tapes. Now we're recording directly to disk, organizing the content better, establishing our own resolution standards, and building custom interfaces on DVD-ROM. It just keeps getting better.

How do you feel Adobe Photoshop users have changed, and Photoshop usage has changed, over the last 10 years?
Back in 1995, young guys used Photoshop; now, they're all a bunch of old farts. Oh wait, that's me. Okay, let me rethink this...

My sense is that the market has shifted from graphics and design professionals to photographers. I remember speaking to a small group of Miami-based photographers back in 1994. They expressed shock that I used Photoshop to assemble graphics; I expressed shock that they were all photographers. (Fortunately, shock produces electricity, and computers run on electricity, so they saved money on their energy bill that month.) Now I when walk into a crowded room of photographers and say "I am a graphic artist," they say "We forgive you, get on with your lesson." I have become a minority, and I love it.

What is the best way to get into 'production' mode and let the creative juices flow?
I use handcuffs. Not for getting work done or anything, I just use handcuffs.

People hate this, but I relate the flow of inspiration through the eyes, mind, and hands to flow of food through your intestinal tract. We all know good diet and regular behavior keep the downstairs plumbing happy. What's amazing it that good diet and regular behavior keep the productivity flowing upstairs as well. Toss in the handcuffs and you make a commitment: When your only option is to write, you tend to do it.

What are the top 3 features in Adobe Photoshop CS2 that you're really excited about?
Smart Sharpen, Vanishing Point, and Smart Objects. I also like The Bridge and the new, auto-aligning multi-selection layers. And that spot healing brush tool — wow! Does that suck or what?

So when you aren't pushing pixels, what do you enjoy doing?
I spent three years as a DJ at the University radio station. Old habits die hard, and thanks to iTunes, Napster, and others, I've been able to keep up with my obsessive need for popular and alternative music. I download like you wouldn't believe — Beck, System of a Down, The Mars Volta, Iron & Wine, Blue Merle, Morcheeba, The White Stripes. Whatever, it's all good. But while the tunes are great, sometimes I just have to get the heck out of town. I travel a lot, enough that I think I'm a nomad. In a matter of weeks, I was in Helsinki, London, and Melbourne. I love knowing that I'm on the opposite end of our little globie, experiencing a completely different dynamic from one moment to the next. It keeps me on my game, boy.

So to sum up, my hobbies are obsession, confusion, and clarity. I store them in albums and hold them tight to my chest. I love the chaos for the opportunities it creates. Hell, I am the chaos.

Thanks Deke!

For more info about Deke's training DVDs and books visit www.deke.com.
View free clips from Total Training's Adobe Photoshop CS2 with Deke McClelland.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:20 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 11 2005

• It's Not "Wack-em" Or "Way-com" It's "Wah-kum"
On the fence about which Wacom pen tablet to buy? Read Jennifer Borton's "How I Learned To Love The Tablet."
This extensive review by a professional illustrator details how she slowly, and at first reluctantly, transitioned to working with a pen tablet. She also discusses the pros and cons of the different models, and the advantages of having extra levels of pressure sensitivity. Find out which model she finally settled on, and as a bonus you'll get to see some of her fine art work, which I'm a huge fan of. I used two of her pieces in my blog design tutorial.

Or maybe you're more interested in a wickedly expensive interactive tablet? Ben Long has an article at Creativepro.com about the Wacom Cinq 21UX Interactive Pen Display, which lists at just under $3,000.00. From the intro:
"The Cintiq 21UX is the latest and largest of the company's screen/tablet combinations. Like the smaller Cintiqs, the 21UX combines an LCD screen and a pressure sensitive tablet to create a surface you can paint on directly using a Wacom pen. The Cintiq 21UX is a more intuitive, natural interface for drawing and painting than any other input device."

Read Jennifer Borton's "How I Learned To Love The Tablet."
Read Ben Long's review of the Cintiq 21UX.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:22 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


• The Plugin Site Releases Version 1.04 Of FocalBlade
The Plugin Site has released Version 1.04 of FocalBlade, a Photoshop-compatible plugin for sharpening photos for screen display and printing as well as for producing blur, soft focus and glow effects on 8bit and 16bit images. FocalBlade lets you sharpen photos without amplifying noise or artifacts and produces impressive sharpening results even on low quality images.
Details, pricing, and a demo version can be found at the Plugin Site.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:22 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


JULY 08 2005

• 3 CS2 Tutorials From Adobe
There are 3 Photoshop CS2 tutorials available from the Adobe site. The first two are available in MOV and PDF format. It is suggested that you watch the movie for an overview, and then follow the companion Adobe PDF tutorial for step-by-step instructions.

Perform Nondestructive Transformations
[MOV: 9.2 MB / PDF: 500 KB] Perform as many transformations on an image as you'd like in Photoshop CS2 without worrying about losing image quality.

Correct Lens And Camera Angle Distortions In One Simple Process
[MOV: 9.0 MB / PDF: 650 KB] Don't let a distorted photo spoil your project. It's easy to correct even the most extreme visual distortion with Photoshop CS2.

Defining Perspective Planes To Redesign A Building
[PDF: 270 KB] In the past, you had to stretch, skew, and transform new image elements to make them conform to the perspective of an existing photo. Now, in Photoshop CS2, the revolutionary, new Vanishing Point plug-in handles the chore of matching perspective for you.

Go to the Adobe Photoshop CS2 Tutorials Page.
posted by Jennifer Apple at 12:07 AM EDT | permalink | send comments


• Photoshop Top Support Issues
Here are the latest top issues from the Photoshop Support Knowledgebase: