Ok, I like this better than what i plan on doing for tomorrow nights meeting so I am posting this one. :P Photoshop can become an addiction. This is my first hackish use of EZMask. I can recommend this product for those who are not in love with masking difficult areas. This image wasn't tremendously difficult, but it did have a lot of similar colors which always makes for a tough challenge.

Save Those Snapshots!

By: Frank Goad, Frank Communications

We want to know that we're covered in case we don't do things exactly right. We want our robot servant just like in the Jetsons. We'll settle for a little help, and that's what Jade gives you - a little help.

Jade can take a picture that's a bit blurry, under- or over-exposed, that has some contrast problems and perhaps has a bit too much backlight, and likely make it usable. I say "likely" because, like most packages, it has its limits. For instance, it won't repair that group shot in Mammoth Cave when your flash didn't fire.

Well, our next meeting is coming up and I am excited. We have grown a lot in the past couple of sessions and it is really exciting to see how this community is coming together. I wanted to take this moment to tell you about one of the raffles that is on the plate.

Alien Skin Software - Snap Art 2

Alien Skin has release its latest version of the turn a photo into art software Snap Art 2.

I have been playing with it and it is really fun. I am a horrible photographer, and an even worse artist. But this plug in helped me make something I might hang up in my house, like the closet behind all the clothes with the lights off. That's not how i feel about this plugin, just about my work. Anyhow here is a before and after example of what you can do with Snap Art. I will be giving away a copy at our up and coming meeting.

I just finished on a class assignment to make a splash page for a mock website.  I'd like to know if you have any critiques!  Thanks!

I used masking for the background, stock capital photo, and free logos from the respective website.  In my pursuit for the mastery of the pen-tool, the C and D are made with the pen tool.  I found the best way to use the pen tool is to activate the grid in photoshop.  That also helped me with the typography.

A good Photoshop effects plug-in must be a real time-saver in a production workflow environment. It must produce eye-catching effects with a few clicks and output them in formats suitable for web, video and print. Alien Skin's Eye Candy 6 provides the workflow speed along with a great deal of variety, flexibility and ease of use.

When I first picked up this book I thought it was going to be a typical book on editing photographs. I really wish the title gave a better clue as to what it's about, which is one thing: Digital Workflow. And for that subject it gives a very good introduction for anyone who is trying to figure out how Adobe's Bridge, Photoshop, Lightroom and Camera Raw products fit together smoothly.

The first section, Setup, leads the reader through the fundamentals of digital images, principles of color and color management. Also discussed is the basics computer and work environment configuration to have the best editing experience. Finally each of the tools is given a general introduction.

DMAGAZINE and our latest meeting

First an update on the mag

Well, need to carry a mop around to clean up my drool from what I saw regarding the progress of DMAGAZINE last night. In a word, I was DUMBFOUNDED.

There is still much to go in regards to completing and saying we are done, but the layout that I saw was outstanding. It is going to be such a tremendous accomplishment to get this magazine out and into the design world. It is also going to be a tremedous gift! This vision is really coming to fruition and I am amazed.

I want to give Brittany Thompson - editor and Chris Wells my utmost thanks for putting a whole lot of heart into this. They have really helped create something that will go far beyond being a local rag, it will be an event, and one that people will look forward too!

Class Project - CD front using Bamboo Craft, Corel Painter, and Photoshop

When I saw my first tablet, I thought "What do I need a tablet for? A mouse and keyboard are good enough." After all, the main thing that bugged me about laptops were the touch pad. I was a mouser, but one thing I learned from students, teachers, and group members was that Wacom made the best tablets.

For those of you that want to upload pictures in your blog or other content you adminster on the site, here's a quick video and tutorial to get you started.

After last night's session where the pen tool was used to create a mask on the project, i felt like I needed more practice with the tool.  Below are a few of the tutorials that I used to help hone my skill.

http://veerle.duoh.com/blog/comments/illustrator_pen_tool_exercises/

http://vector.tutsplus.com/tutorials/tools-tips/illustrators-pen-tool-th...

Also, I think I'll be typing my name and seeing if I can trace the pattern successfully.