The cost will be $49.99 per month. Adobe is still making subscriptions to individual applications, but the wave of the future is using the new Creative Cloud.

Yes, Adobe has made a version of Photoshop for iPhones and iPads, and the best part? IT’S FREE! Here is a link to a video that demos this new app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hui0p_qI-Q

This is a great application for photographers looking to edit their photos on the go or for casual user who would like to edit or enhance their photos. Not only does it allow simple editing and enhancement all by touch, but also gives you the option to upload directly to Facebook and Picasa or share to friends via email.

Photoshop Express, I’m sure, will have photographers and graphic designers very excited, but another reason this app is so significant is that it is a precursor to having full desktop applications that have gone completely  mobile. This very well could be the beginning of the end for desktop computing in general.

Camera RAW with Photoshop CS5 Free Seminar, February 10th at 5:30pm.

Interactive InDesign CS5 Free Seminar, March 1st, 5:30-6:30.

HTML5 Free Seminar, March 16, 6-7pm.

These complimentary events are at our downtown Chicago training facility at 410 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 433.

Smart Collections are fantastic because let’s say you buy images from istockphoto.com. The good thing is that the word “istock” is in the name of each image, and if you set up a Smart Collection with Filename Contains istock, Bridge will set up and save that search as a Collection.

When you have mutiple comps, you can use the arrows to scroll through them. You also can make a change, and click on the Update button for a particular comp.

In addition, you can choose File > Scripts > Save Comps to Files to create separate images of your comps. The real power of Layer Comps comes when you export to InDesign.

When you import any layered Photoshop file to InDesign, either checking the Show Import Options button when you import, or selecting the file and choosing Object > Object Layer Options not only gives you access to the Photoshop Layers, but to the Layer Comps.

1. Paste
2. Paste in Place
3. Paste Into: Pastes into a Pixel Mask if you have a selection.
4. Paste Outside: Pastes outside a Pixel Mask if you have a selection.

While we’ve had multiple paste options in other Adobe apps forever, now there are more choices on how exactly you want to paste in Photoshop!

One of the slickest new features of Adobe Photoshop CS4 is Content Aware Scale. If you’ve ever wanted to turn a horizontal image into a vertical, without damaging key parts of the image, this is for you!

Step 1: Open your image and double-click on Background layer to turn it into Layer 0.

Step 2: Go to Image > Canvas Size to add space where you want to scale to. 

Step 3: Go to Edit > Content Aware Scale and transform the image into the empty space.

When skintones become distorted, you need to choose Protect Skintones from the Control Panel (formerly the Options Bar)

Step 4: You may notice that some areas aren’t working well, so Undo (or press ESC) and go back to Edit > Content Aware Scale. Now  on the Control Panel (formerly the Options Bar) click on the icon that looks like a Mens’ room icon  and now transform your image. 

Step 5: If this still isn’t giving you the results you’re looking for, you can take it a step further by creating an Alpha Channel. Make a selection out of the area you don’t want scaled. Go to Select > Save Selection, which will give us an Alpha Channel we can use to protect this area.

The Alpha Channel allows you to designate specific areas not to be transformed.

Step 6: Choose Edit > Content Aware Scale, and from the “Protect” pull down menu on the Control Panel, select the Alpha Channel you just made.

Step 6: The "Protect" pull down menu allows you to use an Alpha Channel to keep areas from being transformed.

Step 7: Drag the handles, and decide if you need to go back to the Alpha Channel and add more white (the protected area) to that channel.

Finished Product

And voilà ! Photoshop transforms the areas that aren’t part of the channel! Not every photo works well with this technique, but when it works, it’s a lot of fun! 

Learn More About our Photoshop CS4 Level 1 Hands-On Class
Learn More About our Photoshop CS4 Level 2 Hands-On Class 
Learn More About our Adobe Photoshop CS4 Digital Photography: Digital Photography for Commercial Use Level 2 Hands-On Class 
Learn More About our Photoshop Quickstart Training: 1 Day Photoshop CS4 Introductory 
Learn More About our Online Photoshop 1 Class 
Learn More About our Online Photoshop 2 Class 

- by Jori Curry

The point is, that when I woke up with a full arm cast on Monday, I realized that I had 9 days ahead of me of complete uselessness. You see, I have to admit that I am right handed, completely and utterly addicted to my digital life, and had no right hand to facilitate any of this. Of course, when in a crisis in my neck of the woods, you call Tristan who usually has the answer and is kind enough to make that answer happen. Tuesday morning he showed up with MacSpeech Dictate. I ensured him I could set it up–I do teach Photoshop so that should guarantee I have SOME technological skills.

I went through the install, and had to spend about 15 minutes speaking paragraphs so that it could get to know me and my speech patterns, then I was on my way. Similar to the automated voice at United or American Airlines, I found that when I spoke too slowly, it was confused. I had to entrust that the software actually did listen to me, and I didn’t have to speak as if I were talking to a 2 year old.

  Amazingly, it did interact quite well with Photoshop, Mail, Word, and iChat among other things.  As the week went by, there were absolutely many times I had to go back and “Hunt and Peck” on the keyboard so I didn’t come across as a lunatic in email correspondence. The end result was that yes–as an alternative to not being able to communicate, it was an essential, wonderful tool. Does it replace the quickness of my typing–no, but I certainly am grateful that this kind of technology exists.

- Jori Curry