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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.



Photoshop Express Basic Overview From Justin Seeley
April 01, 2008

Photoshop Express is Adobe’s new free online Photoshop program. This service is offered by Adobe free of charge and gives the user 2GB of storage space and also a custom web address to display their photo galleries. We asked Photoshop expert and teacher Justin Seeley some questions about Photoshop Express and here's what he answered:

Who should use Photoshop Express?
Adobe Photoshop Express isn’t going to entice professional photographers. In fact it may not even attract the attention of the serious hobbyist, but for entry-level consumers and younger users (those who tend to spend more time online in the first place), this will be a great service where they can enhance the quality of their photos and quickly get them online to share with friends and family.

What are limitations of Photoshop Express?
Photoshop Express is more like a light version of Lightroom than Photoshop. There are no layers or layer masking tools available to you, and no curves or levels either. These are essential features for most “real” Photoshop users and it’s because of these missing features that I don’t foresee very many traditional users paying much attention to this service. There are a few effects, but they are a far cry from the filters most people are used to.



How do I signup and get free web space for a gallery?
To get started with Photoshop Express you’ll need to visit the Photoshop Express website. When you get to this page you’ll need to navigate to one of the buttons that say “Join Now.” When you click this you’ll be prompted to fill-in a little personal information, and also have the chance to pick out your new gallery address (yourname.photoshop.com). Once you’ve completed the sign-up process, Adobe will send you a confirmation email for you to verify your account. Just click the link to verify your account and enjoy your 2GB of free storage and web gallery features!

How do I use the Photoshop Express tools?
The adjustments available to you are broken down into three main categories: Basics, Tuning, and Effects. The Basics panel includes Crop & Rotate, Auto Correct, Exposure, Red-Eye Removal, Touchup, and Saturation. Tuning includes White Balance, Highlight, Fill Light, Sharpen, and Soft Focus. The Effects panel includes options for Pop Color, Hue, Black & White, Tint, Sketch, and Distort.



The tools are very simple to use. Most of them are just point-and-click adjustments that are instantly applied to your images. However, some of them do require the occasional value or slider adjustment but for the most part you just pick and choose your options until you get the desired look on your photographs.

How do I use Photoshop Express to prep images for Facebook, email, and websites?
Photoshop Express integrates seamlessly with several sites including Facebook, Photobucket, and Picasa. To access your photos from these other sites simply go to the My Photos section of PS Express, and login to your accounts by clicking the links in the left sidebar.

Once you’ve edited your photos, you can then add them to an album, or to your public gallery. You also have the option to e-mail your edited photos, grab a link code for your gallery to share on the web, and even grab an embed code to include your gallery on your website or blog.

How do I save settings in Photoshop Express?
Saving settings is a snap! All you have to do is apply your desired settings and click the save button in the bottom right corner of the editing window. If you make a mistake, or decide you don’t like the settings you’ve applied, you also have the option to reset your settings and go back to your original photo. Comparing your images is easy too. Simply click and hold on the Show Original button to get an instant preview of what your photo looked like before you applied your adjustments.

How do I learn more advanced tricks?
If you’d like to learn more about Photoshop Express and the capabilities you have when using it, check out Matt Kloskowski’s Learning Center or by visiting my website at JustinSeeley.com!

For more Photoshop Express news, see our Photoshop Express Resource Center.
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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 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.

Photoshop Masking Plugin Fluid Mask 3 - $15 Discount Special

The 4 1/2 out of 5 star review of Fluid Mask 3 at MacWorld begins by saying that this "Photoshop plug-in takes the pain out of extracting backgrounds," and goes on to recommend the latest version, stating that "Fluid Mask 3.0.2 is a very effective tool for separating objects from their backgrounds. It offers a variety of useful features for tackling almost any difficult image, from wispy hair to complex foliage. Online video tutorials and live training sessions help ease the learning curve."

Our friends at Vertus, the makers of Fluid Mask 3 Photoshop Plugin, have set up a special exclusive discount for PhotoshopSupport.com. Just follow this discount link and instantly get $15 off your purchase of Fluid Mask 3.

Fluid Mask 3 is designed for photographers, image editors, graphic designers and all those who take digital image editing seriously. In a streamlined interface and workflow, Fluid Mask 3 instantly shows key edges in the image and provides comprehensive easy to use tools that work with difficult-to-see edges and tricky areas like trees & lattices. Features include: