dekeBlog

In the words of Photoshop PM John Nack, "We swear because we care." If we weren't using Photoshop everyday, reveling in its amazing almost magical powers, we wouldn't notice all those little annoying things that make our work just a teeny bit irritating. Or a lot irritating if we have to repeat certain activities often. Regular loungers know that Deke and I even have a recurring segment of Martini Hour dedicated to our "pet peeves," in which we discuss those behaviors that just seem inexplicable or unneccesarily arduous to us. Well, it looks like we may have a little less fodder for that particular segment in the future.

In this week's show, we have a delightful time with our old (younger than us) friends from Adobe, John Nack and Bryan O'Neill Hughes, who share with us the "Just Do It" list of everyday requests from users that they're working on for potential future (code: next) versions of Photoshop. The idea here is that while they're making sure Photoshop keeps up with cutting edge software possibilities, they also take some time to go back and fix smallish if long-standing irritations and work on suggestions that come from experienced users of the product. 

Here are some of the JDI improvements you may see in the not-so-distant Photohsop future:  Read more » 

What does it take to get invited back to the 'lounge in short order? Well, we invited Tom Hogarty, Adobe Project Manager of Lightroom, back because a) he knows how to order a martini, and b) he knows a thing or two about a cool application that you can download yourself and check out. We talked with Tom a few weeks ago about Lightroom, Camera Raw, and DNG, but this week, we quiz him directly about some of the new features inside LR 3 beta (which, by the way, you can download and test drive for yourself here).

And Tom, that suave gin-martini-sipping guy he is, deftly navigates us through the new features and improvements: Read more » 

You know, it seems like only yesterday, our favorite little pixel-wrangler was just learning how to grasp things with its tiny little hand tool. And today a grown-up Photoshop turns 20---as sophisticated, complex, and worldly a piece of software as there ever was. It's also the one-year anniversary of the day Deke and I lost our heads and decided to record the goings-on in the dekeLounge, so we could share with our martini-quaffing, computer graphics-loving friends everywhere. We celebrate these two happy occasions on the Martini Hour this week, by sipping champagne out of martini glasses and chatting with our good friends Adobe Product Managers John Nack and Bryan O'Neil Hughes. 

And forward-thinkers that we four are, rather than wax sentimentally about the last 20 years of Photoshop, we decided to look ahead to what might inform the next 20 years: Read more » 

At last, a guest who knows a good martini when he is offered one. This week's guest, Tom Hogarty, besides being discriminating beverage connoisseur, is also the Adobe Project Manager for Lightroom, Camera Raw and the DNG file format. We wanted to talk with Tom specifically about the Lightroom part of his job, because the newest version of the product is currently in public beta (from Adobe Labs), meaning it's downloadable for you to check out yourself. Yes, you're welcome.

Tom concisely calls Lightroom his digital assistant, that is, the device which handles all the necessary tasks for managing your digital photography. Then we remind him that it's "Martini Hour" (even if it's more like a half-hour) and he can be a little more effusive. 

Here are some of Tom's favorite things about the Lightroom 3 Beta that he graciously shares with us: Read more » 

Despite his mismatched socks, we still trust this week's guest, photographer and author Ben Long, to be our resident expert on travel and photography, and doing the two well together. In the time I've known him, Ben has taught photography in Florence, been on assignment in Africa, and ridden his motorcycle numerous times across the Great American Southwest. I think Deke actually met him on a cruise ship. The guy is everywhere. This week's show is full of terrific tips for shooting on the road---whether you're just driving up the road to your favorite watering hole, hiking out in the wilderness, or traveling to exotic lands in search of interesting local beverages.

Here are the key areas to think about next time you're headed out on the open road: Read more »