The Digital Photo Guy

FREE Topaz Labs Webinar – Registration Open

The much anticipated Topaz Labs webinar is now open for registration. Follow this LINK to the registration page. Registration is optional but, without registering, you are not guaranteed a seat at the webinar. Also, registration gives you the option to enter the door prize drawings. NB – There are two (2) lines for drawing numbers. Be sure to fill in both. Otherwise, it’s like losing 50% of your chances.

What: Demo ReMask3 and Adjust4 plus overview of all Topaz Products
Who: Ashley Robinson, Topaz Labs & The Digital Photo Guy
When: Thursday, Dec 16 at Noon Central Time (1PM EST, 11AM MST, 10AM PST)
Where: Webinar URL will be e-mailed to registered attendees
Why: If you have to ask…

If you choose not to register, the webinar URL will be posted on the registration page 5 minutes before the webinar starts assuming there are open seats. If it’s not there, all the seats are taken.

Please feel free to post this information on other photography & photoshop sites you frequent as well as any social media sites. We have about 30 seats remaining of 50.

Here are some examples of Topaz Adjust4, ranging from the mild to wild.

Evaluating the Value of Magazines

Looking through a recent issue of Photoshop User magazine, the official rag of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals), I was struck with the breakdown of the contents. A quick count of every page from front cover to the back cover yields 46 pages of ads out of 120 total pages (38%). Another 10½ pages (9%) is dedicated to overhead (Table of Contents, Title pages, masthead, index, etc). The remaining 63½ pages are allocated as follows: 9½ pages (8%) for reviews & press releases, 25 pages (21%) is dedicated to graphics techniques not applicable to most photographers, 15 pages (13%) of material that straddles both graphics & photography (tablets, Help Desk, Q&A, Beginner’s Tips, etc) and 9 pages (8%) applicable directly to digital photography. The remaining 6½ pages (5%) cover LightRoom, useful if you have LR but definitely not part of every workflow.

Outdoor Photographer magazine for that same month has 132 pages including the front and back covers. Of these, 70 pages (53%) are ads. The remaining 63 pages are divided as follows: Overhead 5.33 pages (4%), profiles/showcases 19.33 pages (15%), reviews/PR 10.66 pages (8%) and 20.66 pages (16%) direct, actionable photography related articles. The remaining 4% are subtle infomercials.

The last magazine I analyzed was Photoshop Elements Techniques, a beginner’s guide to PSE. I typically disassemble this magazine upon arrival, scan the pages of interest and discard the rest. I believe the current issues are about 36 pages but the only intact one I could find was 32 pages from late 2009. This magazine only has 1 ad on the back cover, 3 pages of overhead including the front cover and 28 pages of actionable articles. The articles comprise 16 pages (50%) on graphics/crafts and 12 pages (38%) digital photography related. Although this is a much higher percentage, the total pages dedicated to digital photography related articles is much less than the other two.

So, what does all this mean? My point is that we pay for a lot of “stuff” that’s not very useful or relevant to us as photographers. On a per page basis, I pay about 51¢ for a page of useful info in Photoshop User Magazine, 6.6¢ for Outdoor Photographer and 82¢ with Photoshop Elements Techniques. Think about your ROI before shelling out hard earned cash because not everthing is as useful as it may frst appear.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

The previous VMMT about PSE9 was preempted by PSE8 interface features since I was upgrading from PSE7 and hadn’t yet seen or tested PSE8. In this video, I’ll wrap up with a look at one final PSE8 interface feature carried over from PS CS4. Then, we’ll move on to the two biggies introduced in PSE9, Content Aware Healing and Layer Masks.

[swfobj src=”http://www.thedigitalphotoguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/PSE9_pt2.swf”]

Pin-Up Model Photoshoot – Jan 16

On Sunday, January 16 from 10AM to 1PM, I will be shooting pin-up models at Deer Park Winery. If you’d like to join me, the cost is just $25 plus $8 museum entry fee. All the money goes to the models since I’m not about to ask these great gals to spend 3 hours of their weekend posing for nothing. There are just 5 spots so reserve your spot quickly. To reserve at spot, e-mail me and I’ll send directions for sending payment. Once the models are confirmed, there are no refunds. There will be 1 to 3 models at the shoot.

There won’t be any formal instruction but, as always, you can borrow any of my gear that isn’t in use. The intent for you, the students, is to gain experience directing models and shooting under studio conditions.

Topaz Labs Announces InFocus

Topaz Labs has released InFocus, a sharpening tool that promises to change the way we sharpen digital photos. All digital images benefit from sharpening because of the way digital works. Until now, the “go-to” tools were either Unsharp Mask, a good but confusing tool or various 3rd party tools of varying efficacy. Now, InFocus promises to make digital image sharpening a simple task.

Until December 3, Topaz Labs is offering InFocus for an amazing $29.99, a discount of $40 off the regular price. Use the discount code “supersharp” when ordering. For other Topaz Labs products, use the code “digitalphotoguy” for a 15% discount.

Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Topaz Labs and receive no remuneration from Topaz Labs.

Breaking News – Topaz Labs FREE Webinar

The long awaited Topaz Labs webinar has been scheduled for Thursday, December 16. Ashley Robinson, Product Manager, will present a demo of ReMask3, the latest iteration of this amazing tool and Adjust2, two of TL’s most popular programs. If you’ve ever pulled your hair trying to get a great mask of a frizzy haired person, ReMask3 will make your eyes pop out. That’s what happened to me when I saw the first version of ReMask at Photoshop World 2 years ago. Since then, it’s become the de facto, go-to tool for cutting out complex images from the background. So, if putting Grandma’s head on Grandpa’s body is your idea of fun, this is a “must see”. To sweeten the pot, Ashley will have several Topaz Lab’s programs as door prizes. The last time we did this, about 6 people walked away with prizes worth as much as $300.

We don’t yet have an exact time but it will be the afternoon in Central Time (1-7PM Eastern, 11AM-5PM Mountain, 10AM-4PM Pacific). Stay tuned for more details.

PSE9 – The Good & The Bad, No Ugly

After playing around with PSE9 for a few hours, my conclusion is that it’s only worth buying it if you’re already a power user of a previous version or if you’re currently using a version older than PSE 7 or you’re  buying PSE for the first time. If you’re on PSE7 or 8 and aren’t yet fully adept with it, PSE9 won’t do much for you.
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If You Can’t Dazzle ’em With Your Brilliance

Baffle ’em with Photoshop Elements. Obviously, in-camera is the best way to make high-key photos but, you may have noticed, not all photos are made in studios. Some are made inside dark, cluttered places where it’s tough just to set up a backdrop, never mind controlling the light.

Technically, this isn’t a candidate for high-key based on some definitions. In true high-key, Tina would be wearing pastels or whites, no dark colors. OK, so much for technicalities. The following video shows how you can achieve this look with Photoshop Elements.

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How to Really Honor Our Vets

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?  George Canning

Every year, on one day out of 365 days, the United States pauses to drink beer, barbeque and carry on like any other weekend. Sure, there are still parades in some small towns and old geezers at VFW halls grumbling about “back in the day”. Somewhere, someone is reading Ragged Old Flag (see video below) at some public gathering.

But, along the way, we seem to have lost the meaning of Veterans Day. It’s not about those (like me) who served a tour, came home and picked up where they left off. It’s not about the dead although they certainly deserve our respect and gratitude. It’s not even about those currently serving in some God-forsaken hellhole though they should never be far from our hearts and minds.

For me, it’s about those who came home in pieces, mentally and/or physically. Those who struggle each and every day to piece together their shattered bodies, minds and lives. It’s for these survivors that I commemorate Veterans Day. It’s for John who, at age 17, watched his platoon sergeant die in his arms. It’s for Eric who, at age 19 had his arm torn off during a POW rescue mission. To all the men and women for whom their service has never ended, I salute you, today and every day.

Also, for me personally, I salute the memory of CMSgt John Altizer and Colonel Truman, men who helped shape me into the person I am today. Men who went out of their way to turn a 17 year old kid into an adult by entrusting him with adult responsibilities and decisions.
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