101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes

Submitted by deke on 21 May 2008 - 7:16pm.

dekePod Pilot #2: After just one Pilot episode and two years of darkness (during which I was romancing my sponsors, not just sitting on my hands, BTW), dekePod is back and with a vengeance. We're calling this one Pilot #2, to be followed by regular episodes once every other week, assuming we don't all kill ourselves. (These things are massively time-consuming.) Here's the official marketing description:

If you've ever read a computer magazine, you know the idea behind "101 Tips."; One gala issue, lots of first-rate contributors, lots of quality information. And lots and lots of pages. But when's the last time one lone guy tried to capture 101 tips in video? In just 5 minutes of video? Set to music? This is the realm of dekePod, the once-every-other-weekly series from Deke McClelland. It's bold, it's brash, it's ridiculous. It's a podcast with serious issues. Enjoy.

The above movie is served up by blip.tv, which I have to say, rocks. (In-site embed + no branding + widescreen = rocks.) It auto-converts the file to a Flash movie and (I think, tho it's difficult to confirm) lowers the frame rate. For a smoother, less compressed version -- that you can download! -- try one of these links:

  • For a standard-quality QuickTime movie, right-click here and choose Save Target or Download Link or the equivalent.
     
  • For a slightly higher quality M4V file that you can play on an iPod, right-click here and choose one of those same commands.
     
  • Or you can subscribe to dekePod via RSS or iTunes.

You can also check out the dekePod landing page at my book publisher O'Reilly Media.

For a full transcription of the lyrics (available to members), click here.

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Comments

*clap* *clap*

Submitted by photowalkthrough on 3 July 2008 - 5:41pm.
Good job dude. Love the video! And I love your work on Lynda.com too. John (www.photowalkthrough.com)

dekePod in Photojojo

Submitted by chunkymutt on 3 July 2008 - 5:19pm.
Hey Deke! We featured your very exceptionally awesome video in Photojojo today. Check out the link here: http://photojojo.com/content/tips/photoshop-tips-video/ You rock our socks. -Kelly (from Photojojo.com)

Thank you Photojojo!

Submitted by deke on 5 July 2008 - 5:03pm.
Kelly, Talk about sock rockin'. In the time it took me to go to rural Michigan and lose myself in three days of no electronics whatsoever (which is strangely wonderful, btw), our odd little video went from something like 45K cum views to half a mil. Needless to say, I want to kiss you.

Syncrhonicity

Submitted by colleen on 3 July 2008 - 6:34pm.
Kelly, While you were writing your comment, I simultaneously writing my fireworks post with a link to your great site. Your fun with photography rocks. And, yesterday when my magnetic photo ropes arrived, the extra treat you included made my 12-year-old's day (that, and the bubblewrap). I feircely heart Photojojo. Colleen

Go Deke!

Submitted by Martina on 2 July 2008 - 12:35pm.
OMG, you are one crazy man, you get 1000/10 points for new definition of creativity... and another 100 for courage, ha ha.

Deke Pod

Submitted by PhotoandMac on 29 June 2008 - 3:16pm.
Deke, Excellent! Great job on the video. Creative and informative. Doesn't get any better than that. How much time did it take to produce? It looked like a lot of work. Looking forward to the next one. RL http://www.photographyandthemac.com

Need more

Submitted by devolute on 29 June 2008 - 1:52pm.
This was actually pretty educational. I demand simliar for Fireworks! www.devolute.net

sooooooo funny

Submitted by santamistura on 29 June 2008 - 10:18am.
if I understood better the English, certainty, I will laugh and will learn more about the photoshop that I am fanatic users ;))

My idol!

Submitted by GeorgeLogic on 27 June 2008 - 4:45pm.
This video is the reason that I know who you are. I watched it on life hacker and immediately loved it. Thanks for being so freaking cool! -George P.S. I featured it on my blog. George Logic just makes sense!

Finally, someone mentions WIlliam Shatner + Henry Rollins

Submitted by deke on 27 June 2008 - 11:02am.
When Garrick Chow of The Jellybricks and I were trying to figure out the tone of the audio piece, he said, "Listen to this" and cranked "Common People." "That's Joe Jackson on chorus," he said. I was like, "William Shatner sings Nada Surf. Yeah, okay. That could work." Toss in some Samim + Vampire Weekend + everyone's favorite OK Go on the video, and you have yourself a thing. Try it at home, kids. I don't take offense at "Has Been." One of the most hilarious, ridiculous, honest albums I know.

Not Nada!

Submitted by imajez on 27 June 2008 - 10:34am.
It reminded me very of the 'Has-been' album by William Shatner from a few years back, especially the track with Henry Rollins - that's not a bad thing by the way. A very clever album. Great video. Doing one a fortnight will kill you though!

Thanks for sharing your site, Roger

Submitted by deke on 27 June 2008 - 12:56am.
Roger, your site is 1st rate. Love the 5-book stamp graphic. Hands, philatelists? Seriously, if you love print, you gotta like 19th-century postage stamps. The smell of ink on old paper . . . I love that #$&@. I’m sniffing that #$&@ right now. Gosh, that’s some good #$&@! (Oh, and by #$&@, I mean, super-dense petroleum-based ink soaking into a highly porous wood-based substrate. But it's just so much easier to enter #$&@.) Thanks for confusing me for Donnie. That’s high praise. (It’s when folks tell me I remind them of that Mad Money guy I get depressed. Severely so. See that knife? Share.) Chris et al, there will be more. We have a total of 8 episodes in the can. Where intensity is concerned -- if 101 Tips is 9.5, the upcming ones are 5 to 7. But IMHO, the others are funnier -- if 101 Tips were, say, 4, the others are 6 to 8. Jeepers, I like my new rating system! The very next episode, in a little under 2 weeks, is on the topic of metadata. (Sounds dull? No, no, no!) I think you’ll like it. If not, you’ll let me know . . .

Is Deke Donnie Hoyle?

Submitted by campphotoshop.com on 26 June 2008 - 11:16pm.
Back in April after seeing Deke at Photoshop World Orlando, I was convinced that Deke and Donnie Hoyle were one in the same. When the news broke about the real talent behind "You Suck at Photoshop" came out I wrote about it on my blog (http://www.campphotoshop.com/you-suck-at-photoshop). So now Deke has this new Photoshop 101 tips in 5 minuets deke pod thing podcast rap. All I can say is you are one hard core Photoshop geek mf. Oh and please keep it up! Roger Head Camp Counselor Camp Photoshop http://www.campphotoshop.com

holy. moly.

Submitted by critke on 26 June 2008 - 10:59pm.
You rule. This is pure awesomeness. Give us more. More!!!!! -- Chris Ritke http://www.uploadthingy.com

pod cast

Submitted by mike meyer on 26 June 2008 - 6:48am.
That was whack, dope and sick. Uh, I mean I loved it. You are crazy, but still the best. mike meyer

And thusly I agree

Submitted by deke on 26 June 2008 - 2:54am.
Actually, zenbob, *my* favorite part happens to be the mention of Dan Gookin and Ctrl+V for vomit. Here's my backstory: Twelve years ago, Dan and I were at a Waterside conference (Waterside was our agency, back in the day) and we had the following conversation: Dan: (Reflecting on some book of mine) I like how you tell people to remember Cut, Copy, Paste by order of the keys on the keyboard, X-C-V. Me: (Reflecting on that same book, whatever it was) Yeppers. Dan: Cuz I came up with another way. Me: (Reflecting on my reflection) Pray tell, what? Dan: Cut is X for scissors. Copy is C for Copy. Me: (Skeptical) But, but what about the V? Dan: V, that stands for "vomit." Me: . . . (um) . . . (duh) . . . That is . . . (um, duh) . . . genius! Dan: But my publisher would not let me print that. Me: No, no, no! (stunned into silence for 0.12 sec) As I live and die, one day, young Daniel of 12 years ago, I will avenge thee. And lo, the story will be told. Unto the world, I will say: Once upon a time, Dan Gookin proffered a shortcut memory stimulator, and it was Ctrl+V! Cuz nowadays, that's how I remember it. Ctrl+C goes into tummy, Ctrl+V goes back out. What could be more natural?

Hilarious and oh-so-educational

Submitted by zenbob on 25 June 2008 - 10:48pm.
Intense fun, in the realm of geek Deke-dom, dispensing Photoshop wisdom via gonzo filmmaking. Not really, but I like to say "gonzo filmmaking." My favorite part happened to be the mention of Dan Gookin and CTRL + V (for vomit), as Dan is a friend of mine. But please don't think I was not amused and enthralled by the rest, including the tip: don't use the useless tool. Excellent tip. Great fun, and looking forward to more. I can't believe you're going to do these things every other week. Perhaps you'll have to cut back on the production values? Or else...go the gonzo filmmaking route. (Three times! Mentioned gonzo filmmaking three...FOUR times!)

What do you have against the sharpen tool?

Submitted by mike on 25 June 2008 - 10:29pm.
The sharpen tool can be very useful if you want to tighten up a mask. but a better way to do that is to select the part of the mask you want tighter and blur it, them apple m to curve it darker or lighter to bring the mask closer or further away from the image, then repeat. the worst tool in photoshop it the type tool. that's what in-design's for.

He say the words too fast!

Submitted by kingterrors on 25 June 2008 - 10:19pm.
Seems to be a rap... Lead me nothing understand LOL..

Nice

Submitted by kingterrors on 25 June 2008 - 10:13pm.
Ok.Study it and Try to be BEST!

Hello new members!

Submitted by deke on 25 June 2008 - 9:08pm.
Hey, guys, a pre-emptive thanks before I rethank you in just a moment. So's you know, quite coincidentally, my little team and I are just this minute resolving a last-minute crisis on the next episode of dekePod. But I think we should mostly be good to go know (he says, crossing fingers). Thanks for everyone's kind comments. (See? I told you I'd rethank you.) To answer questions: Wasn't sure how it'd be received by that certain large software company, so glad to hear it's going over well. To my knowledge, I've never been called anything but Deke. And yeah, definitely inspired by Nada Surf (we credit them at the end of the video), tho ours is a unique song in that every note, progression, instrumentation, and lyric is different. But still, without "Popular," one could safely argue my song would not exist. And, on a side note, thanks.

Uh. . . Uh-h-h-h-MMMMAAAAAY- ZING!!!!!

Submitted by ChesapkLady on 25 June 2008 - 9:06pm.
Geesch . . . I have known, did know or once knew, perhaps 50% of what you sang here. . . and was impressed with what I knew. GEEEEESCH I say again: I bow to you my friend, for the energy, the knowledge, and just to be able to REMEMBER it all! (I'd forgotten all about Select-All-Copy-Merged-Paste as an absolutely INVALUABLE tool . . . among many, many, MANY others here.) THANKS!!!!! ChesapkLady

Crazy!

Submitted by Jeff Hester on 25 June 2008 - 6:36pm.
The video is very cool Although I'll never remember all that, I was entertained.

nada surf?

Submitted by wezeralus on 25 June 2008 - 4:25pm.
sounds very inspired by the song "popular" by nada surf. remember that song, children of the nineties?

Love the video

Submitted by Rextter on 25 June 2008 - 4:17pm.
Hiya Deke! I've seen your tutorial videos in the past, they're what got me started in Photoshop. You always seem to make tutorials with your own unique style and this latest one continues your trend. No one makes Photoshop tutorials the way you do!

Deke, funny video, is that really your name, Deke?

Submitted by eezpzee on 25 June 2008 - 3:20pm.
I paused it at a minute, but couldn't keep away and finished it. Wow, funny! I laughed. (Does anybody remember laughter?) You have so much energy. I can barely type, caps are a bother and hell if I'm gonna reach all the way up to the F-keys. I'm sure people hear different hidden things in your message, thought I heard something about pizza. The blue tshirt and jeans are cool, the jumping and bending reminds me of George Costanza as Coco. I enjoyed it and will come back for more. Thanks!

Awesome, Deke!

Submitted by Mousewrites on 25 June 2008 - 2:58pm.
Lifehacker just profiled this, and I didn't even realize you had a website. I've been watching your Lynda videos for years (tech support for a certain large company that produces a certain piece of software) and have recommended them to a lot of people. But this take it to a new level. I'm spreading this through the office as I speak (to watch at home, of course) and people are digging it. Nice! Mouse

Great job very

Submitted by Laurel on 25 June 2008 - 10:57am.
Great job very infomormative, look forward to more =) Laurel
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