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The Photoshop Blog offers the latest Photoshop news and software updates, Photoshop tips and tutorials, and random thoughts from graphic artist and Photoshop expert Jennifer Apple.



MONDAY - FEBRUARY 27 2006

John Ulliman On 'Total Training For Macromedia Flash Professional 8' DVD Set & Free Sample Clips

Total Training recently launched a new series "Total Training For Macromedia Flash Professional 8" that includes 24 hours of indexed tutorials on using Flash Pro 8 for creating interactive websites. The training is led by John Ulliman, an authorized instructor for Macromedia's studio of products and principal of his own project development company. We'll be posting a review of this training series shortly, but in the meantime we asked John a few quick questions about the DVD set...

How would you describe the Flash learning curve for a total beginner?
The learning curve isn't really bad — most students assume that its worse than it is, simply because it's a program unlike others that they are used to. Most people are coming at flash from a static graphics experience and the timeline can be a bit intimidating at first. Once we get a little into using keyframes and staging things on the timeline — the "curve" flattens out quite a bit.

Is the Total Training series a complete program that starts you from zero, or does one need some knowledge of Flash beforehand?
I've designed the training series to start completely from zero — so you don't have to worry about knowing anything to get started. We take everything step by step, from the drawing to the animating so you don't have to have any experience with the tool at all to get going.

Do you suggest using a training book as well, or is video training enough?
You shouldn't need any books to accompany this training — most should find that with the dvd you can stop, pause and rewind, it should be much faster seeing the processes than reading about them. We show exactly where the controls are and what happens when they are used so there is no guesswork.

Do you believe that more of the web will feature pure Flash sites, or that sites will be a combination of Flash and HTML?
We are seeing a lot of our clients go for the full pure flash sites now — even though it is still a mix, especially now that we are moving flash on to other platforms like cell phones and PDAs. I would say that video projects are the largest use in combination sites with all the advantages that flash video has over other playback formats.

What are your favorite new features in Flash Pro 8?
I'd have to say that the new video and text rendering features are getting the most use in our new flash projects, and I know the clients are very excited when they see the quality of the video and size of the movie files — but my favorite feature by far is the custom easing control for animation. I have worked with a lot of animation software, and this one control is a huge leap forward for all animators in terms of control and ease of use — not to mention the professional motion results you can get with it.

That's it for now. Thanks John!

To give you an idea of what the training is like, here are some High Definition sample tutorials from the series that we are hosting, courtesy of Total Training.

How To Add Frames In The Timeline Window
In this tutorial you will learn how to add frames to individual elements in Flash, how to insert a frame using the menu in Flash, and how to manoeuver through the timeline window.

How To Prepare, Test And Publish A Movie
In this tutorial you will learn how to prepare items in the timeline window before publishing a movie in Flash, how to test a completed movie in Flash, and how to preview a Flash movie in a browser for final testing.

How To Set A Mute Sound Button
In this tutorial you will learn how to set a mute sound button in Flash, how to use the Behaviors Window to set common actions in Flash, and how to attach an action script to stop all sounds in Flash.

How To Create & Add A Simple Mask
In this tutorial you will learn how to create and use a fill shape as a mask in Flash, how to preview a mask in Flash, and how to use the timeline window to animate the mask.

How To Make New Layers - Flash Video Tutorial
In this tutorial you will learn how to make a new layer in Flash, how to rename and position a new layer in Flash, and how to work with the layers menu.

How To Import And Add Sound To A Movie
In this tutorial you will learn how to import sounds and place them in the timeline in Flash, how to preview a new imported sound in Flash, and how to add sound to a movie using the timeline window in Flash.

How To Work With The Size Report
In this tutorial you will learn how to work with the Generate Size Report in Flash, how to interpret the information generated in the Size Report in Flash, and how to double-check for certain elements that may create large files.

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Photoshop Resource At Squidoo

Seth Godin is a marketing guru who's last book, All Marketers Are Liars, serves morsels of marketing wisdom sprinkled among some fluff and filler, but Seth's morsels are pretty good, and so are some of his crazy ideas, like Squidoo.

Recently at Squidoo a new lens was launched called Photoshop Resource, which is an extensive links page created by Jonathan Gabriel that provides one-click access to some of the best Photoshop resources on the net. I asked Gabriel to tell me a little more about his lens. "I created the Photoshop Resource as a way to help Photoshop enthusiasts find the best techniques and tutorials (especially video tutorials) on the web, all in one place. I have noticed that a lot of times, because of my enthusiasm for learning (or temporary insanity, take your pick), I find myself jumping all around the web, often finding some PS diamonds in the rough after extensive search."

I also asked him what he had in store for his lens. "In the near future my blog will contain links to tutorials and techniques, as well as my own take on the world of PS, things that have improved my workflow, that sort of thing. Overall, building my lens on Squidoo has been a good experience for me. I would invite others to start a Squidoo lens, sure... it's pretty painless (and free) to set up and update. Plus Squidoo places Google ads along the side of the page and the revenue generated can go straight to the lensmaster, or to a charity of his or her choosing."

One thing Gabriel's lens has that really intrigued me was a list of job offers for Photoshop experts. I wondered how he was getting those and he told me that the job listings appear from an RSS feed he tagged from Indeed.com. You can find them at the very end of his lens page. So head on over and check out Gabriel's Photoshop Resource.

posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments

Photoshop Tip: Using the Lasso - Don't Stop to Navigate

If you're using the Lasso tool (L), you have a surprising amount of navigation control, even while you're dragging out your selection. For example, if you're drawing a selection and you need to scroll over a bit, just press-and-hold the Spacebar, and right where your cursor is, the Hand tool will appear. Then you can move the image while you're still selecting (try it once and you'll see what we mean). When you let go of the Spacebar, you're right where you left off, and you can continue your selection.

Here's another Lasso tip: If you're drawing a selection and reach the edge of your document window and need to scroll over, hold the Option key (PC: Alt key), let go of the mouse button, move your mouse to the edge of your image window, and you can nudge the screen over (again, this is one you have to try once to understand it). It's like you're using the Lasso tool to slide the image over. When you're done sliding, press the mouse button and release Option/Alt to continue selecting. Incidentally, while selecting, you can also use the zoom in/out tricks: Command–+ (Plus Sign) (PC: Control–+) and Command–- (Minus Sign) (PC: Control–-).

reprinted by permission and sponsored by the NAPP
posted by Jennifer Apple | permalink | send comments

Photoshop CS3 Upgrade Options And Bundles From The Adobe Store

Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film, video, and multimedia pros and for graphic and web designers using 3D and motion. Get the full version for US $999, or upgrade for US $349. The standard version of Photoshop CS3 is available for US $649, or as an upgrade for US $199. See all upgrade options at the Adobe Store. See our CS3 Resource Center for free Photoshop CS3 tutorials.

Photoshop Extended is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, which combines all-new CS3 versions of Photoshop, Flash Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat 8 Pro. Upgrade options for customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can be found at the Adobe International Store.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Available At The Adobe Store

There are tons of new features in Adobe Lightroom 1.0 that you won't find in the beta version. From Clone and Healing functionality to metadata browsing, you'll be able to free-up post-processing time like never before. Get it now at the Adobe Store. Customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can find special pricing and offers at the Adobe International Store. For free Lightroom tutorials see our Lightroom tutorials page.



Special Offer - Fluid Mask - Photoshop Masking Plugin

Fluid Mask is based on breakthrough segmentation technology inspired by the way the eye, optic nerve and brain perform visual processing. When an image is loaded, Fluid Mask's segmentation engine analyses the distribution of colors, finding the natural groups within the image. Together with information calculated about edges, gradients and textures, a model is constructed which divides the images into objects.

Vertus Software is offering Fluid Mask at the special 'friends and partner' discounted rate. This is an exclusive offer to visitors of PhotoshopSupport.com. To qualify, visit the Fluid Mask Discount Price page. Find out more about Fluid Mask on our special Fluid Mask Page.

SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly

There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.

Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.

Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, this program turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, this program is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks.

Generate Your Web Pages Directly From Photoshop
By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.

Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.

Photoshop CS3 Book - CS3 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews

Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.