I have returned from Southern France. And with the exception of a few exciting airport debacles—never ever try to return your car to the “French sector” of the Geneva International Airport!—I had a great time. Avignon, Les Baux-de-Provence, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Mouth-watering cheeses, world-class wines, and chocolates like you’ve never tasted. Plus everyone’s super polite and the speed limit is >80 mph. You can’t get a decent martini, but I did manage to parlay a glass of 15-year Laphroaig, which’ll tide me over in a pinch.
In the meantime, I’m in Toronto. In fact, this very day I’m teaching a full-day, super-intensive Channels & Masks seminar at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, at which every attendee gets a copy of my book Photoshop CS4 Channels & Masks One-on-One.
So it’s only fitting that today’s feature is Photoshop’s most successful automated masking function, Color Range. To say it’s good is an understatement. Like a Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine, it is soigné. Check out the free high-quality streaming video to learn more.
As usual, the base photo comes from image vendor Fotolia. This time it’s image #8840472 from a photographer who goes by the handle Lvnel. Click this link for a special deal.
(For a list of all Photoshop Top 40 videos thus far, click here.)
Photoshop Top 40 is available as a downloadable podcast from iTunes. Click here to subscribe. dekePod subscribers will get the videos automatically.
Oh, and did I mention Southern France’s wealth of antiquities? Like Glanum, where a modern road covers a Roman city over a Greek town on top of a Gaul village? Here’s me rendered in mask-like silhouette, as captured from the healing waters deep below even the ancient Gaul stratum.
What does that have to do with Color Range? I dunno, but get a load of what Color Range can do with it!
And that’s just the beginning. For those interested, I’ll post a complete travelogue of my exploits when I settle back in next week.
Your excellent taste in drinks
Laphroaig
Enough said…
Anthony.
Neat
I liked that alt-drag on the mask. I do it in more steps (load the selection, then ask for a layer mask), so that’s a time saver.
And the dark inner glow was interesting. I thought you were going to go for refine edge. I was curious to see what would happen if i did a ‘create layer’ from the effect. It was a soft black inner glow clipping masked against the lowere layer.
Drat
Ah rats…..I’ve just found your PodCasts and love them - wish I had known you would be in Toronto I’d have signed up to attend.
BTW there are definitely good places for martinis in TO but you gotta know where…
Don’t mind the gay district? Try The Byz (http://www.byz.ca/)
Want something traditional? Try the Consort bar at the King Eddie (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/dining/index.html?propertyID=1912)
PhotoShop is the daddy!
PhotoShop is the daddy!
http://www.forex-shockwave.com
Downloadable Videos
Heya Deke, Colleen,
I’d like to download the video’s to store them in my training library. Before in these kind of video posts there was also a link to a mp4 file to download.
Am I overlooking something or do I really have to download and install iTunes now to be able to keep them local? I’m not really a fan of the bloated iTunes so if there’s a way around it I’d be most happy :)
Thanks in advance for a response.