The Digital Photo Guy

Photoshop Elements Webinar is Saturday, 11/14

On Saturday, 11/14 from 9AM to 1PM PST, Rob Sheppard, editor of Outdoor Photographer Magazine, NANPA Fellow (North American Nature Photographers Association) and author of over 2 dozen books on all aspects of photography, will teach a 4-hour webinar on Photoshop Elements for Digital Photographers. In just 4 hours, you’ll learn how to use Photoshop Elements (PSE) to get the most out of your digital images. Rob strongly believes that PSE and Lightroom are the best combination for digital photographers and he’ll show us how and why.

Students will be able to hear, watch and ask questions as Rob edits and enhances images on his PC desktop using PSE. All 4 hours will also be recorded so students can review the videos for free for 60 days.

Did I also mention there’s a pot full of “door” prizes? “Door” is in quotes because there really isn’t a door as such. Maybe I should call them URL prizes? Anyway, one of the hot prizes is a bundle of Topaz Labs plug-ins (Adjust, Clean, DeJPEG, Denoise, ReMask and Simplify). Today’s video MMT happens to be a quick overview of the first module I’ve tested, Adjust 3. See the video below.

Video Monday Morning Tip – Topaz Adjust 3

Topaz Labs plug-ins were demonstrated at Photoshop World last month and I can honestly say it’s some of the most amazing software I’ve seen in a long time. At the same time, to get the most out of the software, you have to read the manual and practice (There Ain’t No Free Lunch). Like almost any software, you can use the preloaded presets for good results or you can learn how to create your own effects and get some amazing results. It’s all up to you and how much effort you invest.

Video Monday Morning Tip, 11-09-09

In the future, if there’s interest, I’ll cover the other modules in more detail. Also, if enough people request it, I’ll ask Topaz Labs to conduct a short free webinar using my webcast system. So, if this looks interesting and useful, leave a comment.

If you’re new here and want access to over 100 past MMTs, register using the form to the right. Most MMTs are behind a password to keep web scrapers and other creeps from taking everything off this site and fooling people into thinking they’re visiting a legitimate site.

Quick Tip

If you have a laptop or desktop PC with a biometric authenticator and want to upgrade to Windows 7, I’ve got a great tip for you.

A biometric autheticator is a device on your PC that you wipe or lay a fingertip across and it identifies you by your fingerprint. As with any computer device, there’s a hardware portion (the scanner) and a software portion (the analyzer).

My Fujitsu laptop came with an Authentec scanner and Softek software. Together, the system allowed me to use long, nearly impossible to hack passwords like “yDBr5#228%nN4″ without breaking my brain.

When I upgraded to Windows 7, the Softex software no longer worked but it turned out to be a good thing because Microsoft has standardized biometric systems with a handy protocol called Windows Biometric Framework.

Fortunately for users, we don’t need to understand any of this. All you need is the make and model of your biometric scanner. If your scanner meets WBF standards, you’re golden because you can use any WBF compliant software. In my case, when I contacted Softek about upgrade pricing, they blew me off and tried to charge me for a whole new package. After a bit of poking around, I discovered a company called Upek (where do they get these names?). For US$19.95, I was a bit skeptical but decided to give the free trial a spin. It’s a bit more complex than the Softex program because it does more but, overall, I’ve been pleased with it.

Bottom line, if you have a biometric scanner and want o upgrade to Windows 7, search for “windows biometric framework scanners” and you’ll find lots of programs that now work with your scanner. You’re no longer stuck with whatever software that originally came with your scanner.

Today’s MMT, as usual, is in the MMT page behind a password on the Tips & News section. (To get a password, please register) This MMT was inspired by a friend and former student who just bought a new Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 super wide angle lens and sent me some photos from his trip to Taos. Readers who have an 18-55 kit lens as their primary WA might have noticed that distant subjects tend to appear tiny when using a WA. This can be both a benefit and a disadvantage.

It’s immediately obvious that a WA isn’t a particularly good lens for photographing small, distant objects because they appear even smaller than they already are. But, if the small, distant objects form a pattern, the WA may be the perfect lens. So, while a WA isn’t useful for photographing the quarterback in the pocket from your seats in the nosebleed section, it may be just the lens for capturing the colors and patterns in the seats across the stadium.

A key technique when using a WA is to get as close to the main subject as possible and give the viewer the sensation of being in the photo instead of observing the photo.

We Have a Winner

Tracie from Hawaii is the first winner in the Photoshop Elements webinar and the class doesn’t even start for another 12 days. Tracie registered herself and two friends for the webinar and won a complete Topaz Labs Suite (Adjust, DeNoise, Simplify, Detail, Clean, ReMask, DeJPEG) worth $179.

There’s one more chance to win a complete bundle and that’s during the webinar when one lucky student will receive a complete Topaz Labs bundle. If you’re not familiar with Topaz Labs Photoshop and Photoshop Elements plug-ins, check out the cool tools on their site. 

But, even if you don’t win the bundle during the webinar, not to despair because I have a great deal for the rest of you. Go to Topaz Labs’ website and order the bundle using the code digitalphotoguy for a 15% discount. That gets you $340 worth of software for just $152.99. It don’t get no better’n that, citizen!

Remember, we also have lots of other door prizes including the 800+ page Workbook from Photoshop World, a BlackRapid camera strap and 1-2-3 of Digital Imaging book on a CD. Click here to see the door prizes and read the descriptions.

Wild Animal Park Photoshoot – Dec 5, 2009

The next WAP Photoshoot class is just 5 weeks away. If you’re the type that likes to see which buttons I’m pressing in what direction and why, this is the class for you. In just 4 hours, we’ll cover Exposure, Focus, Composition and basic photo editing.

Some challenges you’ll learn to overcome include setting the desired exposure by using the Exposure Level Indicator, Histogram and Exposure Compensation. You’ll also learn how to use flash during broad daylight to improve your photos, set your camera and lens for kids and critters in motion and composing for impact.

We end the session by meeting in my RV for a photoshop Elements session to learn the basics of photo editing. This is the fastest, easiest path for new dSLR owners to get “up-to-speed”.