Welcome to the May 2005 Newsletter. Photoshop CS2 is shipping! We've just installed our copy and Jennifer Apple promises to have a few CS2 tutorials for you very soon. At the end of this newsletter you'll find some exclusive specials for you from Total Training (discounted Photoshop CS training) AV Bros. Plugins (discounted plugin bundles) and Shinycore Software (3 free copies of Path Styler Pro).
Photoshop Blog - Featuring Free Tips
Make sure to read through our Photoshop Blog, where you can find a collection of the latest Photoshop news and free Photoshop tips. The Blog also features an RSS feed.
Visit the Photoshop Blog
Photoshop CS2 Free Trial Versions For MAC & For Windows
Both the Photoshop CS2 free trial for MAC and the Photoshop CS2 free trial for Windows are now available for download from the Adobe website.
Download the 30-day free trial of Adobe Photoshop CS2 for MAC.
Download the 30-day free trial of Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Windows.
Photoshop CS2 New Features Page
You'll find an overview of all the new features of Photoshop CS2 on this page, along with links to sites that offer special reports and tutorials, as well as Adobe's own Photoshop CS2 resource center.
See our Adobe Photoshop CS2 New Features page.
Photoshop CS2 Video Tutorials From Total Training
Total training has kindly provided us with some links to clips from their brand new training videos for Photoshop CS2. Here's a taste of what their new training videos have to offer.
Camera RAW
In this video clip you'll get a first look at the new Camera RAW features in Photoshop CS2 (Photoshop 9). Camera RAW CS2 now lets you batch process images and import images into your choice of formats, including Digital Negative (DNG). Camera RAW CS2 also allows you to make automatic adjustments to exposure, shadows, and brightness and contrast.
In this clip you'll learn how to correct a very dark image, and how to use the new Auto Correction settings in Camera RAW CS2.
See Total Training CS2 "Camera RAW" video tutorial.
Image Warp
With Image Warp you can easily create packaging mock-ups or other dimensional effects by wrapping an image around any shape or stretching, curling, and bending an image.
In this clip you'll learn how to create true envelope-style distortion with installed warp presets, and how to use traditional transformation settings to create a wrapping effect.
See Total Training CS2 "Image Warp" video tutorial.
Adobe Bridge
Adobe Bridge is a stand-alone application, the next-generation File Browser, where you can process multiple camera RAW images at once; resize, rate, and label thumbnails; quickly review images in Slideshow mode; search metadata; and more.
In this clip you'll learn how to use the new View Controls for changing the size of thumbnails with a slider, and how to preview a variety of files, including fonts and color swatches in a document.
See Total Training CS2 "Adobe Bridge" video tutorial.
Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point lets you clone, paint and transform image objects while retaining visual perspective. In this clip you'll learn how to draw a grid that matches the perspective of your photograph, and how to set new source points and then clone and paint inside the grid.
See Total Training CS2 "Vanishing Point Tool" video tutorial.
Smart Objects
With Smart Objects you can perform nondestructive scaling, rotating, and warping of raster and vector graphics. You can even preserve the editability of high-resolution vector data from Illustrator.
In this clip you'll learn how to import a graphic and choose the Smart Object command, and how to shrink and then enlarge a graphic with no loss of detail.
See Total Training CS2 "Smart Objects" video tutorial.
The First Wacom Wireless Pen Tablet
Wacom Technology have released the first Wacom pen tablet to incorporate Bluetooth wireless technology. The new Graphire Bluetooth offers a 6" x 8" active area and is priced at $249.99.
The Wacom pen looks and feels like a regular pen and operates without batteries or cords over distances of up to 30 feet. The Graphire Bluetooth tablet features a rechargeable lithium polymer battery that provides up to 25 hours of wireless use between charges.
For more details read our review of the Wacom Graphire Bluetooth tablet.
Free Textures And Backgrounds - Directory
We've put together a page that has links to the best sites for downloading free textures and backgrounds.
These sites have huge databases that will keep you busy for days and offer all kinds of textures for website and design projects. Some of the sites also offer good tutorials that will help you learn how to make your own textures.
Go to our Free Textures And Backgrounds Page.
New Photoshop "Tips & Tricks" Mini Tutorials From CreativeBits
Ivan Raszl has re-launched his excellent CreativeBits website, where he posts some great Photoshop tips and tutorials. You'll have to go through the various posts to find them, or you can read them all at once as collections in our Photoshop tutorials section.
Go to Photoshop Tips & Tricks — Variety Pack Volume 1
Go to Photoshop Tips & Tricks — Variety Pack Volume 2
Go to Photoshop Tips & Tricks — Variety Pack Volume 3
Go to Photoshop Tips & Tricks — Variety Pack Volume 4
New Book — The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers
Scott Kelby, the best-selling Photoshop author in the world today, once again takes The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers to a whole new level as he uncovers the latest, most important and most exciting new Adobe Photoshop CS2 techniques for digital photographers.
This major update to this award-winning, record-breaking book does something for digital photographers that's never been done before – it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly "how to do it." It's not a bunch of theory; it doesn't challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows you step-by-step the exact techniques used by today's cutting-edge digital photographers and, best of all, he shows you, flat-out, exactly which settings to use, when to use them, and why.
His new CS2 version is even bigger, even better, and exposes even more of the pros most closely guarded secrets, including a special chapter which shows, for the first time ever, step-by-step how to how to set-up Photoshop's color management. He does it by throwing out all the theory, all the techno-babble, and all the confusing charts and graphs and instead just shows you exactly what you need to do (and nothing more).
This book is available at a discount price (34% off) at Amazon.com.
New Book — Photoshop Elements 3: The Missing Manual
This series from O'Reilly is well written and full of good information. Now there's Photoshop Elements 3: The Missing Manual. From the press release:
"The very best way to learn Elements is just to dive right in and play with it," assures author Barbara Brundage. She helps readers do that by avoiding unnecessary technical jargon and delivering straightforward guidance and instruction on everything Elements newcomers - and even power users - need to know. She clearly explains why and when someone would want to use or avoid certain features of the program and delivers tutorials throughout the book with downloadable files for practicing.
Read the full press release.This book is available at a discount price (34% off) at Amazon.com.
New Book — Photoshop Elements 3 For Windows One-on-One
"Photoshop Elements 3 for Windows may be the best bargain in the history of digital imaging," says Adobe Certified Expert and PhotoshopWorld Instructor Dream Team member Deke McClelland (who has also earned himself a spot in the National Association of Photoshop Professional's Photoshop Hall of Fame). "For a fraction of the price of the full-blown, professional-grade, industry-standard Adobe Photoshop CS2, Elements provides more features than most digital photographers will ever use."
Read the full Press Release.
This book is available at a discount price (34% off) at Amazon.com.
Save $80 On Photoshop CS Training (Offer Ends May 6)
We're happy to announce that we have an exclusive web offer that will let you save $80 on Total Training for Adobe Photoshop CS. In this comprehensive training, Deke McClelland, Photoshop expert and best selling author, demonstrates the latest tips, techniques, and useful tricks for Photoshop. With in-depth instruction, you’ll learn to perfect your skills with Total Training's "hands on" approach to get all the training you need to advance your skills to a new level.
This is a web-only offer available through the Total Training online store (no phone orders accepted for this special offer).
Save $80 on Adobe Photoshop Training (Limited Time Offer)
Discount Codes (10% Off) From AV Bros. Plugin Store
The AV Bros. have given us special links where you can get a 10% discount on the purchase of their plugins. Just use the following links to purchase the individual products or packages at a discount.
AV Bros. Page Curl 2.0 for Mac OS X
AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.0 for Mac OS X
AV Bros. Page Curl Pro 2.0 for Windows
AV Bros. Puzzle Pro 2.0 for Mac OS X
AV Bros. Puzzle Pro 2.0 for Windows
Bundle A (Page Curl Pro 2.0 & Puzzle Pro 2.0) - cross-platform
Bundle A (Page Curl Pro 2.0 & Puzzle Pro 2.0) - for Mac OS X
Bundle A (Page Curl Pro 2.0 & Puzzle Pro 2.0) - for Windows
To learn more about the products, visit the AV Bros. site.
Win A Copy Of Path Styler Pro
In association with PhotoshopSupport.com, Shinycore is giving you the chance to win one of three copies of Path Styler Pro, the powerful new plug-in for Photoshop.
With Path Styler Pro, you can create high-quality graphics for logos, cover illustrations, multimedia, and the Web. Path Styler Pro uses Photoshop's own paths as a base to create images with ultra sharp bevels that can be enhanced with metallic materials, textures, procedural maps, reflections, and more. With the new intuitive user interface you will find yourself up and running within minutes, creating stunning effects with very little effort at all.
Visit the Path Styler Pro Contest Page to learn all the rules and enter in the contest.
(Closing date for all entries is May 27, 2005)
Tip Of The Month: Ask Photoshop to Remember More
Photoshop CS remembers the last 30 documents you had open, but by default it only displays the last four under the File menu, under Open Recent. However, you're not limited to just four. Would you rather Photoshop displayed the last eight instead? Then in Mac OS X, go under the Photoshop menu, under Preferences, and choose File Handling (in Windows, Preferences can be found under the Edit menu). When the dialog appears, under "Recent File List Contains," enter the desired number of files (up to 30) that you want to have quick access to under the Open Recent menu.
A Thank You To Our Friends, Partners & Sponsors
We'd like to thank our friends, partners and sponsors: Power Retouche Plugins, AbsolutVision Stock Photos, Peachpit Press, O'Reilly Media, Hostway, Total Training, AV Bros. Plugins, Shinycore Software, and The National Association of Photoshop Professionals.
June 2005 Newsletter Preview
That's all for this month's newsletter. Next month we'll cover all the latest updates with links to each entry in the June newsletter. Also in June we'll have some more exclusive discounts and specials for Newsletter members.
Until then, Happy Photoshopping!
