One-on-One

Myyyy Photoshop, myyyy Photoshop, Top 40! Okay, so actually, it's the Top 3. That is, the Top 3 entries in our recent Photoshop Top 40: The Contest. I asked you to create a magnificent piece of artwork that celebrates no fewer than three of the features from my Photoshop Top 40 podcast. Happily, your response was overwhelming. Sadly, your response was overwhelming on Christmas Eve, while I and my sidekick Colleen were with our children. But eventually, we found time to review all 146 enthusiastically submitted entries. (Thank you, by the way! Nothing gets us going like a hot contest!)  From that, and with great difficulty, we have selected three winners.

I promised our choices would be purely subjective. And they are. But subjected to the things we love: Photoshop craftsmanship and creative ingenuity. And, go figure, we liked pieces that celebrated the theme of the contest, Photoshop Top 40. In other words, good art direction trumped precise execution, although our winners showed some mad skills. Read more » 

One of the things that listeners told me while we were in Vegas is that, as fun as our guests are, every once in a while it's fun to listen to a classic Deke-and-Colleen conversation. After listening to this week's show, I think I know one of the reasons: Deke and I can really go nerdy when we're not entertaining. This week is a case in point, as Deke and I delve into his recipe for making a great screenshot. Yes folks, Deke has sound, meticulous advice for creating great screenshots, especially for print. Advice he imparts often when one (that would be me) is working on a book in his series (that would be Photoshop Elements 8 One-on-One which Deke and I are co-authoring due out shortly). If you've ever wondered why those images in One-on-One books look so sharp and clean, and so wonderfully readable, Deke reveals his secrets in this episode.

Here's our thinking: Read more » 

As many of you know, my beloved video publisher lynda.com has released the second part of my "Illustrator One-on-One" video series, Advanced. Together with Part 1, Fundamentals, this brings my Illustrator CS4 content to 330 movies lasting nearly 30 hours.

But it's not over yet! Last week, I finished recording the 140+ movies that will make up the final installment, Mastery, which I estimate will last 13 action-packed, highly educational hours.

Update: Illustrator CS4 One-on-One: Mastery is live now! Members of lynda.com can click the link to check it out.

These videos aren't yet available. They have to be cataloged, edited, and all the rest. But I hate a secret, so I naturally feel compelled to share with you the many wonders that wait in store. Read more »