book

 Colleen and David Futato and I are in the final death throes of Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One. I'm sitting here working on the introduction to the final lesson, Lesson 12, "Masking the Tough Stuff." By way of demonstrating arbitrary maps, which can be quite useful for "throw down" masking, I assembled this nifty composition. It's a photo from David Politi subject to two varieties of arb maps, one applied using Gradient Map and the other with Curves. Isn't she pretty?

It has nothing whatsoever to do with masking -- just introduces a topic -- but I'm rather transfixed with it at the moment. Takes me back to my teónanácatl-tinted halcyon days. So naturally I had to share.

Anyway, we're shooting to get the book to the printer any day now. We'll keep you apprised. Read more » 

I and my crackerjack team are putting the final touches on what has traditionally been one of the bestselling titles on Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop CS4 One-on-One. Those of you familiar with previous editions of the book know that I start things off, in the very first lesson, by comparing Photoshop to the Nine Circles of Hell. The idea is, Photoshop is an extraordinarily complicated and sprawling program. With few exceptions, new users are intimidated as Hell by it. But just as Dante survived his encounter with The Devil, we will tour the depths of Photoshop, stare it right in the eye, and emerge from the experience unscathed. (Maybe we'll even see Brutus!)

For years, I've been trying to come up with a satisfactory figure to illustrate the discussion, and now I finally have. Behold the newly renovated Ninth Circle:

(The actual illustration comes from a fellow named Achim Prill. My contribution was some recoloring and, of course, the text.)

Can't you just hear The Beast bellowing at you to join Him in His Dark Imaging Lair? As you struggle to form your wordless response, download the high quality PDF and read the introduction for yourself. Read more »