The Droplet Song (A Love Song to a Lost Feature in Photoshop)

Submitted by deke on 19 March 2009 - 12:30am.

dekePod Episode 012: Hello, friends. Please accept my sincere apologies for the 14-week gap between this dekePod and the last one. Life and work, and more life and work, and still more life and work got in the way. Happily, I managed to clear my plate and come up with something new and special for you. Think of it as a kind of St. Patrick's Day resolution, in which I abandon my feisty ways and embrace my sensitive side. Even if it's only for one episode. Here's the official marketing description:

How best to encourage people to use an obscure but super-useful Photoshop feature? Rhyme, rhythm, and romance. Hence a music video that will make all your automation dreams come true. Give Deke five minutes of your time and he’ll set your world on fire.

Filmed in and around San Francisco's Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park (not to mention some random guy's apartment), this soothing video will make you feel alive again. I even learned to play the guitar for you!

If you're interested in downloading this video, try one of these links:

  • For a high-quality 155MB QuickTime movie, right-click here and choose Save Target or Download Link or the equivalent.
     
  • For an 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 page at my book publisher O'Reilly Media.

Members: Keep an eye out for a future article, in which I'll post the lyrics and a downloadable MP3 version of the song. In the meantime, enjoy.

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If you liked this video, you might also like these commercial products that cost actual money while at the same time expanding your creative and technical range: The book Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One and the video series Photoshop CS2 Actions and Automation. Gee wiz, friends, why not give them a try today?

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Comments

Not only wildly

Submitted by farishussain on 26 September 2009 - 10:10am.
Not only wildly entertaining, but informative, you guyz are too cute and funny. Regards James

Amazing

Submitted by peter01 on 9 July 2009 - 1:47pm.
Very artistic approach thanks

Deke, you're totally amazing!

Submitted by KennyD on 21 May 2009 - 5:54pm.
I have been an admirer for some time Deke, but I only now found this blog. I must say, your dedication is unsurpassed and you are obviously the King. To think Lynda was considering using me to replace you...I could never fill the shoes. I'm glad your condition cleared up and they were glad to keep you. I know those infections are a bit embarrassing. Regards, Ken Walker

Recording Actions In Illustrator

Submitted by mwgriffin on 22 April 2009 - 8:12pm.
This video was awesome! I totally use droplets because they rock! But on a more serious topic... Have you ever encountered some actions not being recorded in illustrator? For instance, when I try to record adding an effect to an object (more specifically the inner glow effect) illustrator doesn't record it. In fact in photoshop it records things like undos and redos, but in illustrator it doesn't. What gives? I'm really curious about the effects not being recorded because in my process which I'm trying to automate, its crucial. Michael Griffin http://www.MWGriffin.com

Better than anything on MTV or VH1

Submitted by violet47 on 6 April 2009 - 10:10am.
I am giving up TV for you Deke!!! Not only wildly entertaining, but actually informative.

What a great song

Submitted by stevenskl on 24 March 2009 - 4:14pm.
Deke, this is the first Photoshop tutorial that I had to watch at least 15 times. This song is absolutely great! I really love it! And I love the video as well!

Wait till you start singing it in public places

Submitted by Petra on 24 March 2009 - 4:26pm.
and in the shower and while driving, etc... People start to look at you funny, as you softly sing "save it as a drop - let, take a file and drop - it", etc. My sis inferred that I was going completely mad and should seek help. Then I played her the video and suddenly she understood (as she muttered "pwoar! he's hawt" under her breath between giggles).

Oh my god...

Submitted by inservo on 23 March 2009 - 2:49am.
Dude, I think you have some severy disfuntionalities but they come out to our all best. You enlightened my day with this song and I'm pretty sure that I will start to hum this song in the most anappropriate moment. :-) It was worth waiting the long time although I have nothing against a little higher frequency. But I think this one was a lot of work.... Fantastic, you're the man!

Thank Goodness DekePods are back!

Submitted by EricRFMA on 22 March 2009 - 9:49pm.
I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to hold out...! Thanks, Deke! Life is worth living again...

Thanks Deke

Submitted by Jim M on 21 March 2009 - 1:10pm.
In these tough time, Deke and the droplets made my day a little brighter, loved the backup singers. Jim M

Now we know why you work

Submitted by Ally on 21 March 2009 - 8:56am.
Now we know why you work with Photoshop LOL :) Great to have you back Deke :-)

"play" the guitar

Submitted by kirk3d on 21 March 2009 - 7:14am.
Deke, I love that this never shows you playing the guitar, but merely holding it and dancing with it. Funny Stuff!

Welcome back! I needed a

Submitted by Laser on 20 March 2009 - 11:40pm.
Welcome back! I needed a good laugh

droplet

Submitted by wen on 20 March 2009 - 7:33pm.
Deke, don't give up your day job to sing and strum. It was so crazy but it gave me my laugh for the day.

Deke it to me babee

Submitted by I Simonius on 20 March 2009 - 5:48pm.
Now that's what I call training! `Deke rooles! - yeah, spelt 'rooles' ;)

Totally

Submitted by LudikaStyle on 20 March 2009 - 5:14pm.
gorgeous, the world needs more ab-somethings like you. A hitchhiker from Italy

You must be

Submitted by Lolka on 20 March 2009 - 2:25pm.
CRaZY!!! Sorry about that ;) Ps. I really enjoyed the video and it made me laugh :)

Twitter

Submitted by stevenemartin on 20 March 2009 - 12:22pm.
I always liked the word anoint.

Save it as a droplet

Submitted by chinapony on 20 March 2009 - 11:40am.
Deke…! "I get'… the droplet tutorial…and I felt NO PRESSURE learning under your "Carefree Town Crier"… musical composition! "I'm just saying, Way to go"! Thanks

14 weeks...

Submitted by mikebasher on 20 March 2009 - 11:10am.
...of perfection. Thanks for the return performance, Deke.

I needed that.

Submitted by budfranco on 20 March 2009 - 10:57am.
Thanks Deke. I needed the tutorial and the song.

I'm afraid to touch the action menu now...

Submitted by shalat on 20 March 2009 - 10:51am.
I may catch something. Is that oil? andrew shalat designer of the 14th century

Like lavish porn...

Submitted by Scrawny Nelson on 20 March 2009 - 7:51am.
...I watched it...succumbed to the primal urges it induced...and then deleted all traces of it...even while still basking in the afterglow... A new fetish is born, but I'll never admit it.

Head drop

Submitted by jfrancis on 20 March 2009 - 1:03am.
I loved the 'head drop' to the forearm repeated across those several cuts and locations.

Thanks...

Submitted by aztech on 20 March 2009 - 12:24am.
That bass will be swimming through my brain all night... lol

That was no bass

Submitted by deke on 20 March 2009 - 3:49am.
That's a grouper. (My goodness, that's funny.)

Punny

Submitted by aztech on 20 March 2009 - 11:03am.
That's Bass, not Bass... oh, never mind.. :-)

Shouldn't someone mention "Bass-o-matic" at this point...?

Submitted by EricRFMA on 22 March 2009 - 9:48pm.
;)

What does Deke & Paul Simon have in common?

Submitted by MarcBlake on 19 March 2009 - 10:52pm.
Q: What does Deke & Paul Simon have in common? A: Absolutely nothing! I'll explain. I've never seen Paul Simon create a song about using Photoshop. Now I have heard Paul sing about film but this was probably before you were born (and many of us were smoking more and drinking less in those days). MarcBlakePhotography.com

Nice bright colors

Submitted by aztech on 20 March 2009 - 12:18am.
Your not still using Kodachrom are you?
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