Disney

Well, kids, I recently returned from an extended trip to Orlando. And it was every bit as magical (you pick your variety) as you would imagine. I mixed it my two sons, my ex (mother of my sons), and the Photoshop World conference, not to mention the heat, humidity, and monsoon-style rain that is the central Florida. We loved it, we hated it. We celebrated, we cursed. Here's a snapshot from one of the sunny days, featuring my wicked-smart highly social eldest son, Max, on the right, and my wicked-tough circumspect youngest son, Sam, on the left. Two more different boys you could not meet. And yet, they both chose to adorn themselves in goofy sunglasses and ball caps. Gosh, I love them.

In reflecting on the eight days of pure Disneyness, I'm not sure I have much of a story to tell. Not one that hasn't been told before, anyway. There were huge crowds, long lines, and short rides. We spent a lot of energy grabbing food, drink, and "fast pass" tickets. And whenever I spoke with a Disney "cast member," each and every hireling ended our discussion with that excellent catchphrase, "Have a magical day!" Which, despite the amazing sincerity with which the words were delivered, did nothing to heighten the #magic of the crowds, lines, and short rides.

Do I sound Grumpy? Perish the thought! We had an exemplary time. Read more » 

As those of you who have watched my training videos for lynda.com know, I spend a lot of time doing "deep dives." My three Photoshop CS5 One-on-One courses add up to nearly 64 hours (which is why the editors have recently taken to calling them Dekelopedias). I spend a lot of time outlining the projects and bringing myself up-to-speed on the features. But the vast majority of my time is spent creating and researching the project files, which I try to make as real-world and compelling as I can.

I mention this because my next foray---after I complete Illustrator CS5 One-on-One: Mastery---will be a thus-far unnamed series on Photoshop CS5 Extended's 3D capabilities. And as I plunk around formulating project files, I can't help but look to Pixar for inspiration. I mean, even the detail below (the chin and chest from the lovable, malignant, strawberry-smellin' Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3, which hits grocer's shelves in a couple of weeks) is enough to make a digital artist gasp with amazement, not to mention cry with envy.

Truth be told, Photoshop isn't nearly capable enough to handle these sorts of texture and lighting effects. (Pixar has software the rest of us only dream about.) But Photoshop's brand of 3D is a rich and deep group of features, one that has experienced tremendous growth in the last few versions and will continue to grow in the future. My questions to you are: What do you want to see? What do you expect from Photoshop 3D? What kind of 3D images do you desperately need to create? What sorts of effects do you want me to focus on? Read more »