I’ve been blogging about the fact that I can’t find a camera bag that works for me when shooting sports. In fact, many of you who are pro sports shooters have come up with suggestions. After my last trip to Birmingham to shoot the Indy Test Weekend (where I had to leave my laptop at home due to carry-on restrictions), I was so cranked I finally had to make a move and find a solution.

THE PROBLEM
My problem is that I have to have three carry-ons, and of course the airlines will only allow two. My carry-ons are:

1. My camera bag (with two bodies, my smaller lenses, battery chargers, etc.)
2. The large lens case for my 200-400mm Nikon lens
3. My laptop case (with powercord and other accessories).

MY DREAM
Ideally, one bag that would hold my 200-400 lens, 2 bodies, all my other lenses and accessories, my laptop and power cord; it has to be a rolling bag (and not be a backpack) and it has to fit in the overhead compartment fairly easily.

THE SOLUTION?
The last time I talked about this problem, a number of kind folks had suggested that I look at Think Tank Photo’s Airport Security V2.0 rolling camera bag, and since I’ve become a total “Think Tank Freak” recently, I went to their site first, and looked at it, and I saw there was an option for “lower dividers” which allow you to store your 15″ laptop right on top. That was it—-I ordered it right then and there (along with the optional 15″ laptop case and the lower dividers). It’s shown at the top of this post (photo courtesy of Think Tank Photo).

Above: Here’s my bag with a 200-400mm lens, 2 bodies, a 24-70mm lens, a 14-24mm lens, a 70-200mm lens, and there’s still room to spare. (photo by Brad Moore).

MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE!
I got the bag two days ago; my photography assistant Brad configured it today for my gear, and my friends, this bag is it! It’s the one. I’m in love!

This bag has more room than I would have imagined, and more storage compartments than I’ll probably ever need (but I love that!). It looks and feels so well built, and it’s so flexible in how you set up the interior. I am just so psyched—now I’m down from three carry-ons to just one, and just like that my problem is solved.

Above: Here’s my new bag with the optional 15″ laptop bag on top (photo by Brad Moore).

Above: Storage pockets in the top flap (Photo by Brad Moore).

Above: More storage compartments in the front. (Photo by Brad Moore)

PROS:
It’s got loads of room, despite the fact that it’s carrying a huge lens right in the middle. All the pockets and storage are really welcome, as is the security cable and lock, so it doesn’t walk off at the airport while you’re checking your email. It also comes with a tripod/monopod holder, which is really important when carrying long glass. It’s really well-built; the wheels are solid (and replaceable), everything has a great fit and finish, and finally all my stuff fits in one bag, and I’m not checking anything other than my clothes. It also has a stretchy front pocket which will hold up to a 17″ laptop. It also comes with a TSA-approved combination lock, and a lock for your laptop as well in the front. The entire bag seems very well thought out, very intelligently designed, and it has lots of little features that make you smile.

CONS:
Because the handles slide down inside the bag (like many rollers), parts of the inside “floor” are raised, which does tend to limit where you can put things like camera bodies standing straight up (especially if you have an L-bracket attached). Also, this raised area creates kind of a “groove” (for lack of a better term) along either side, which is great for lying your lenses down, but this also kind of makes it a little wonky when storing them “on end.” They will store that way, but the grooves make it feel more natural to lie them down. Lastly, the laptop case is very thin (I guess it has to be to fit), so you have to store your laptop’s power cord in the main bag—not within the laptop case itself. Pretty minor stuff, but I thought they bared mentioning. This isn’t minor; the price. At $369 (US), it’s kind of pricey, but for what it does, and how it’s made, at least you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.

THE BOTTOM LINE
I have finally found the bag I’ve been dreaming of. Nitpicking aside, this is exactly what I was hoping this bag would be. In fact, it’s actually better than I was hoping, and I am just tickled pink that it is working out so well. My only regret is that I didn’t listen to those folks who turned me onto this bag sooner. My hat’s off to Think Tank Photo. Between their belt system, and this Airport Security roller, I have become a big time Think Tank believer!

Here’s the link to Think Tank’s website for more details.

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There are things I absolutely love about my new 15″ Apple MacBook Pro (photo above courtesy of Apple), but at least 40 to 50 times a day, I want to have a friend fling it high into the air so I can use it for skeet shooting practice.

Now, before I dig into this review too far, part of the problem seems to be an Apple thing, but part of the problem may be something Adobe can fix in Photoshop CS4, because it’s there where the problem is most prevalent, and it’s there where I find myself stringing together somewhat colorful phrases I would not normally assemble.
My Worry
My main concern about the MacBook Pro was that the glossy glass screen would be too glossy for accurately editing photos in Photoshop.

My First Impression
I was pleasantly surprised at how great photos look on its crisp glossy screen. In fact, it’s so luscious, I think it makes the photos look better than they really look. Also, I was concerned about reflections, and while it is more reflective, and I keep thinking that’s going to be a problem; so far, it really hasn’t been. Surprisingly, the only time I really notice the reflections is when it dims the screen. Then, I’m much more aware of them.

The Reality
I’m still worried. Because it makes photos look so darn good, I only want people to see my photos on a glossy MacBook Pro glass screen, but of course, that’s not going to happen, as they’ll be viewed on the Web on whatever computer they have, and of course, they’ll be viewed in print. I’ve only had my MacBook Pro a few days, so I haven’t had a chance to do any serious printing in-house on my Epsons, and just last night I sent my first lab print to MPIX.com, so I have no idea how my on-screen color correction and edits will relate to my final images in print or on the Web. So, while I’m pleasantly surprised at how nice the screen looks, I’ll have to wait and see how the Photoshop editing process plays out. I will update you on this as soon as I know.

—-

My Worry
I know that one of the key features in Photoshop CS4 is the new hardware accelerated graphics and that now Photoshop hands off a lot of processing directly to the graphics card, and while I could see a difference in my old MacBook Pro, I was wondering if the new NVIDIA graphics card in the new MacBook Pros would really make that big a difference.

My First Impression
It’s way better than I expected. So much so, that it actually changes your Photoshop experience. I’ve never felt like Photoshop has moved faster than it does with the new NVIDIA cards. It’s crazy fast, and zooming, moving, rotating views, etc. is just amazingly, crazily, wonderfully fast.

The Reality
My first impression was correct. So much so, that I’m going to install an NVIDIA graphics card in my MacPro tower at home, which is the machine I do most of my serious photo work on.

—-

My Worry
Since the new MacBook Pros don’t come with a mouse button, I was afraid it would be weird not having something to click, and it would take me a long time to get used to it. Instead, the whole trackpad is a mouse button (well, most of it anyway), so wherever you are, you can just click.

My First Impression
Wow, you don’t really need a mouse button. I started working with it immediately, because your hand sits right where it always did, and when you want to click, you just click with your thumb like you always did. After five minutes, you don’t even think about it again.

The Reality
I was wrong. The trackpad is killing me, and is the main culprit behind all my MacBook Pro Pain. Apple will have to fix part of it (and if the reports I’m reading online are correct, they’ve already begun a fix), but Adobe will probably have to fix the other part.

The problem is a combination of the new trackpad finger gestures, which let you control navigation and rotation within Photoshop much in the way you work with photos on an iPhone (you can flick images around, you can pinch to zoom in, etc.. It’s actually a very cool intuitive idea). Here’s the problem; my thumb rests on the trackpad where it always rests—right where the click button used to be. But if it moves upward even 1/16 of a inch (which it often does), then the trackpad thinks I want to rotate the canvas view in Photoshop, and so it turns my canvas to a 45° angle. Sometimes, it just starts tilting my canvas back and forth while I’m trying to work. Sometimes it not only rotates my canvas, it zooms me out to less than a 1% view of my image. So, 40 to 50 times a day (maybe more), I have to go and reset my Canvas to normal, and then zoom back out to fit in view. It is driving me crazy to the point that I now find myself making finger gestures to my new Mac.

I went to the Trackpad preferences, hoping there was a way to turn off the “rotate my screen wildly and zoom in and out at random” feature, but sadly, there was not (see the capture below).

I’ve pretty much turned off whatever I can in the preferences above, and yet, still I rotate. Here’s a quick video of how this affects my day.

Now, this problem happens to a lesser extent in my Web Browser and in my Mac Mail application, where suddenly my text zooms in, or gets really tiny. It doesn’t bother me as much there, but that’s probably because it doesn’t rotate my view, eh?

Other problems with the trackpad are:

1. The cursor seems to vanish sometimes. Not all that often—just sometimes
2. If your thumb doesn’t hit the right place, it kind of ignores you, and this drives me crazy when editing text. I keep clicking my cursor on the spot where I want to edit, but it won’t move. So, I often click somewhere near where I want to edit, and then use the back-arrow key to get back to the text I want to edit. Arrrgggg.
3. Every so often, it kind of freezes, or pauses, and you can’t do anything.

There are forums full of people will similar problems, and apparently Apple is already working on a fix for this. Now, here’s what I need Adobe to do; I need a preference to turn “Rotate View” off. (note: It just froze again, and I had to move the cursor using the arrow key to type this next line). If I could turn the feature off, then at least that problem would go away.

It’s not really Adobe’s fault that they didn’t anticipate that a computer that was not yet released would turn a very cool new feature into a nightmare, but at this point, that preference will help a lot, but it won’t help with the zooming issue.

—-My Worry
Apple won’t fix this fast enough to keep me from tossing my new MacBook Pro (whose otherwise design, fantastic keyboard, and other features I dearly love), from the top of someplace very high.

My First Impression
Apple usually makes things right. I actually have great faith in Apple fixing this quickly, because they are known far and wide for their excellent customer service and customer satisfaction

The Reality
I’ll just have to wait and see. However, this isn’t the end of the story—I will update you on when the fix is in, how the new glossy screen plays out, and any other developments, but for now, I thought I’d better share my experience.

If you’re having similar experiences with CS4 and your new MacBook Pro, please let me know, because if it’s “just me,” and my own poor trackpad skills, then I want to amend this review.

A few weeks back, I went ahead and bought the new Nikon D700, but I really wanted to spend some time with it, and shoot in a number of different situations and scenarios, before I gave you my review. Now that I have a few thousands shots on it, I’m ready to share what I’ve learned.

My Field Report

The D700 was announced on July 1st, and Nikon seeded a number of photo sites with an early review unit, so for more than a month now we’ve all had access to very detailed write-ups of every single pixel, technical aspect, and mechanical specification possible. So, when I do a review, I want to bring a slightly different angle to it, so it’s really more of a ‘Field Report’ (what I liked and didn’t like and my personal impressions from actually using it out in the field).

My challenge in writing this field report, is that while it’s true the D700 is a new camera, it’s really two existing cameras made into one (the guts of a Nikon D3 inside the body of a Nikon D300), so I’m not going to have a bunch of exciting new features to share that everybody doesn’t already know about, so it’s really going to be a “feel for the camera” type of report, and my feelings on who might want one and why. We’ll start with a quick recap of what the D700 brings to the table.

Comparing it to the D300:

• It looks just like a D300, and if you didn’t look at the name on the front (or the camera strap), you’d probably never know, so cosmetically, they’re very much the same, except that the D700 is slightly taller because of the updated viewfinder, and the D700 has the new flash sync and remote caps. Also, on the back the viewfinder area looks more like the D3’s, as does the multi-control wheel.
• Since it has the D3 chip inside, you get two things: the Full Frame FX format sensor, and the incredibly low noise at high ISOs that made the D3 a truly groundbreaking camera. Although many working pros use the D300, Nikon (and many camera magazines), have always positioned the D300 as a consumer-level camera, but with the inclusion of the D3’s sensor, the D700 is a professional grade camera (just in a smaller package).
• The D700 does have the D3’s Virtual Horizon feature (that gives you an aircraft-cockpit like readout to help you keep your camera level when shooting on a tripod), and on the D700 you can add this Virtual Horizon as an overlay when you’re using Live View.
• The View Finder shows 95% of the actual frame area, vs. the 100% view you get from the D3’s viewfinder.
• The Auto-Focus has been enhanced as well, and is an improvement over the D300’s (which is no slouch itself).
• The downside of Full Frame is that for some shooters, it’s a disadvantage. For example, when I’m shooting sports, I get closer to the game (by around 50%) using a D300 because of the 1.5 DX magnification (my 200mm lens gives the equivalent of a 300mm lens on a full-frame sensor). I lose that advantage with a full frame D700.

Comparing it to the D3:

• The D700 has something fairly significant that the D3 doesn’t have; a pop-up flash. Now, you might be thinking, “Well, who would want to use pop-up flash anyway?” You can use it to wirelessly trigger an off camera SB-800 or SB-900 flash, without having to have a 2nd flash or a separate commander unit. For me, that’s huge.
• The D700 has the built-in Dust Sensor cleaner the D3 doesn’t have.
• The D700 doesn’t have two memory-card slots.
• The D700 is smaller and lighter than the D3 (but again, it’s not a pro-rugged as the D3, which is born to take a lickin’).
• The D700 doesn’t have the little horizontal LCD at the bottom back of the camera for seeing, and changing, White Balance, ISO and Quality.
• It doesn’t have as fast a Burst mode as the D3 (it does 5 fps with the body only. Add the battery grip and it goes up to 8 frames per second).
• There are some tweaks to the software (like the ability to assign any camera function to the preview buttons on the front of the camera).

Things I Really Liked:

• Besides the really obvious stuff (like High ISO and Full Frame, and the inclusion of a pop-up flash for triggering wireless flash), I really like how you access the memory cards—there’s no annoying memory card door button to push first—it’s just a simple slide of a panel (more like you have on some Canon models), and I think this is a step in the right direction for easy usability (hey, the little things matter).
• I like that you can use the same batteries as the D300, so now I’ve got plenty of batteries for each camera (since I have both). The charger is smaller, and carrying a spare battery or two takes much less space and weight than the larger batteries on the D3.
• I particularly like one change they made on the back of the camera; they moved the Info button to the far lower side of the LCD, and now it’s easily accessible with your thumb. It just seems like the perfect place for, and putting it there will probably get a lot more people using it.

What I didn’t like:

• I could only come up with one thing that I didn’t like about the D700, but to me, it’s pretty significant. I don’t like the feel of the shutter. To me, it feels soft and kind of mushy (compared to either the D3 or the D300). This really surprised me, becasue one of the things I love best about Nikon cameras is the feel, and even the sound, of the shutter. It usually feels crisp. It sounds crisp. But to me the D700’s feels soggy and slow. By the end of the first day’s shooting, I was starting to get used to it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I know that some people will like this new Carbon Fiber shutter better, and to some it just won’t matter, but if I could change one thing; this would be it.
• There is one more issue, but it’s not a D700 issue; it’s a full-frame issue. The problem with the D700 is the same problem as with the D3; to really experience the full frame sensor advantage, you really have to have lenses that were made to take advantage of the full-frame sensor. If not, and you put DX format lenses on the D700, you get a 1.5x cropped image that’s only around 5 megapixels. If you have a lens like Nikon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens, then you’re in luck—it works great with full frame, and doesn’t do the “DX Crop” thing. However, if you have the popular 18-200mm f/3.5 – f/5.6 VR lens, then your image will be cropped down to 5-megapixels. Hey, better you hear it from me, than learn it the hard way. I guess what I’m trying to tell you is this; you’re probably going to need more than just the D700 body. You’re probably going to need to buy a lens (or two) to make it worth your investment. If you shoot portraits, the incredibly crisp new 24-70 f/2.8 FX lens runs around $1,700. If you shoot landscapes, Nikon’s fabulous 14-24mm f/2.8 FX lens costs around $1,550. In short; you’re going to need the money you save from not buying a D3.

The Bottomline

The D700 just takes a better looking photograph than the D300 (and really, that’s what it’s all about—all the rest is really just bells and whistles). The new sensor, the autofocus, the low noise—it all adds up to photos that just beat the D300 (with the D700 you get D3 quality photos, which the D300, good as it is, just can’t deliver).

If all I can find to complain about is the feel of the shutter, this must be one heck of a camera (and it truly is). It puts a full frame 35mm size sensor in a lot of folks hands for $2,000 less than they expected, and they added features that even the D3 doesn’t have, which really makes it a pretty insane deal.

So, the question is; why would anybody buy a D3, when they can buy a D700 with a battery grip, and have nearly the same camera for almost $2,000 less? That’s a good question, and I can’t swear that if a friend asked me if they should spend the extra $2,000 for a D3 that I could look them in the eye and tell them it’s worth it. If they’re a sport shooter or a photojournalist, then I’d probably say yes. Outside of those two groups, I’d have a hard time justifying the extra cost.

Then, who should buy a D700? It’s for anyone who wants to shoot handheld in low light (at higher ISOs than you would ever consider with a D300, like 6400 ISO). It’s for anyone who really wants the advantage of shooting with a 35mm-sized full-frame sensor, and it’s for anyone who just wants better looking images than they’re getting now with a D300 or lower. So, in short, if you’ve dreamed of a D3 without the D3 pricetag, your dreams have finally come true in the Nikon D700 (and it’s why I’m awarding it my “Scott Thinks It’s Hot!” Award). Way to go, Nikon!

(photos courtesy of Nikon).

If you’re not familiar with any of the “P-series,” (technically Epson calls these “Multimedia Viewers” because they play videos and music), they’re part portable hard drive for safely backing up your memory cards on location, part photo-viewer with a big bright screen, and part in-the-field laptop replacement, because you can create collections, do slideshows with a music background; you can sort and rate your images on them, and a half dozen other things in a size so small you can fit it in your camera bag. I’ve been using these “P’s” since there was a P-2000 and I take one on every location shoot without fail, as it’s become an important part of my workflow.

Anyway, I got to play around with the P-7000 quite a bit this past week, and I wanted to give you a quick review on what’s new, and why I like the P-7000 so much better than my beloved P-5000.

Here’s what I loved:

• The Larger Storage Size; Epson has doubled the storage sizes of both units (compared to the previous P-3000 and P-5000). At 160GB the P-7000 has double the memory of my P-5000 and the P-6000 is 80GB (vs. 40GB for the P-3000). Last week (at my Mary Duprie workshop), I had to delete files on my old P-5000 to fit the shots from that day, so the 160 GB version is going to mean more to me than I once thought.
• Better Software: If I had a gripe with the P-5000, it was that the software needed to be a little more robust. It did a lot, but it fell short in a couple of areas (especially when it came to importing images), but luckily the new software is MUCH better (it looks pretty much the same, but it has enhanced functionality in a number of areas).
• It’s faster at Importing Images. These new units are supposed to be 35% faster at importing images ( I didn’t run lab tests to confirm, but I can tell you it definitely feels faster).
• The Screen Display is Off The Hook: The new screen technology, using Epson’s “Photo Fine Premia” technology (which displays 16.7 million colors) is just stunning. It’s incredibly crisp, bright, and pretty much blows away what you see on the back of your camera’s LCD (and the new screens encompass 94% of the entire gamut of the Adobe RGB Color Space used by many photographers). When you zoom in tight to view your images really close (to check sharpness, etc), the display is tack sharp, and you can get in really, really close.
• They added a new Jog Wheel to help you scroll through your images more easily (this is bigger improvement than you might think. Ask anyone who has an earlier P-series).
• The P-7000 comes with a nice little travel pack, which includes a travel case, a car charger, and dual battery charger, and a few other little kickers.

What I Wish Were Different:

• The software is much better for sure, but the overall design of the interface still needs a lot of work. Since this was designed for photographers, the interface design should appeal to creative types. Looks matter, and I’d love to see the look of the interface get the same amount of attention everything else has. Right now, the software is very functional. The problem is; it needs to look better, be easier to use, and more fun to use.
• They’re pretty darn expensive; The P-6000 has a street price of $599 and the P-7000 goes for $799. I know they replace you having to carry an expensive laptop into the field to back up and view your images (which is does for me), but it shouldn’t actually cost as much as a laptop (for example, Dell’s new Vostro 1710 laptop, with a 17″ widescreen LCD display, 1 GB RAM, an 80GB hard drive, and built-in DVD burner sells for $100 less than the P-7000; at just $699). I think Epson needs to reevaluate the prices of both units, but the marketplace will ultimately decide if it’s too high or not.

The Bottomline

It is, without a doubt, the best P-series Epson’s ever made. The software, while not where I’d like it to be, is certainly much improved over earlier versions. The speed is better, the screen is insanely good—all the hardware parts of this puppy just rock. Best of all, it fits snugly in my camera bag (even my smallest one) and knowing that my images are backed up while I’m on location is absolutely invaluable to me. If price isn’t a big factor, and you want the very best back-up and photo viewer on the planet, pick up either the P-6000 or 7000 when they come out in September.

(Photo above courtesy of Epson).

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“Which version of Photoshop should I get?” It’s a question we hear often from people who are just moving into digital imaging. Since the release of Photoshop CS3 Extended and the introduction of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, it has become even more confusing, leading to even more questions: Photoshop Elements or the full version of Photoshop? Photoshop CS3 or CS3 Extended? And where does Lightroom fit in?

The Elemental Question

BY DAVE CROSS

Let’s start by taking a look at Adobe Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS3. This is one of the most difficult questions to answer, because the latest version of Photoshop Elements has many similar features found in the full version of Photoshop. In fact, some would argue that Photoshop Elements simplifies many operations and includes some features that the full version of Photoshop doesn’t have.
For example, a common workflow for digital photographers is to organize their photos, apply some overall corrections, combine images together, and create some output (website, galleries, prints, etc.). With its simple interface and built-in automated commands, Photoshop Elements does a great job at this. Using the Organizer, images can be sorted and, well, organized, and then edited using either Quick Fix (for basic adjustments, Red Eye Fix, and Sharpening) or Full Edit (for manual adjustments and working with layers). Turning photos into greeting cards, slide shows, websites, galleries, and photo book pages is a snap thanks to the Create options that feature built-in templates and themes.

CREDIT: DAVE CROSS

Photoshop Elements includes layers, adjustment layers, healing tools, adjustment tools, selection tools—in short, the key tools needed to work with photographs. One of the strengths of Photoshop Elements is the ease with which these functions can be used, taking advantage of automated commands and built-in templates. In a way, this is also a disadvantage of Photoshop Elements: When you want to take things a step further, you can often run into limitations.

As an example, Photoshop Elements includes a command called Adjust Color Curves that includes some built-in choices (Increase Midtones, Lighten Shadows, Backlight, etc), and sliders to adjust Highlights, Brightness, Contrast, and Shadows. These controls do a good job of adjusting an image. Compare this to the Curves command in Photoshop CS3, which offers features such as per-channel editing; increased number of points on the curve; black, midtone, and white point eyedroppers; the ability to edit the curve itself; built-in presets; and options to work with Histogram and channel overlays—plus many more options for a much greater level of control.

Photoshop Elements Curves

Photoshop CS3 Curves

The Curves example pretty much sums up the main difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS3: Photoshop CS3 offers more tools, with more options and a much higher amount of control. In addition, Photoshop CS3 includes many key features not found in Photoshop Elements, including layer masks, smart objects, smart filters, the Refine Edges dialog, filters such as Smart Sharpen, Calculations, Apply Image, layer comps, recording automated actions, the ability to work with individual channels, Lab color mode, and more. Both photographers and designers who want to take their work “to the next level” take full advantage of these features that are exclusive to Photoshop CS3. It’s also very important to note that while Photoshop Elements does include the ability to work with Camera Raw files, it’s a fairly basic version of the incredibly powerful version of Camera Raw found in Photoshop CS3.

So the most common answer to the Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS3 question? Photoshop Elements does a good job of covering the basics, while Photoshop CS3 offers more options, more flexibility, and a great deal more control.

Extending the Possibilities

BY COREY BARKER

When Adobe released the newest version of Photoshop last May, they surprised a lot of people by releasing two editions: standard and Extended. This left a lot of users scratching their heads wondering which version they should buy. Well, before we get into that, let’s talk about why there are two versions.
Until now, every major Photoshop upgrade has introduced new or enhanced tools for graphic designers, Web designers, and photographers. This process has made Photoshop the standard in these fields. However, lately it has been realized that Photoshop is capable of so much more. With the digital imaging world changing at an exponential rate, most industries are beginning to abandon their analog ways and embrace the digital age by using tools such as Photoshop for various imaging applications.
Where Photoshop was once only the domain of graphic designers and photographers, the Extended version has broadened the spectrum of Photoshop’s capabilities by including specialized tools for 3D, video editing, advanced animation, image analysis, and measurement. I say specialized because these new features work with various specific file formats and have procedures that go beyond the normal Photoshop workflow.

Perhaps the most notable of these are the 3D and video capabilities. Photoshop Extended now has the ability to open native 3D files created in 3D applications such as 3ds Max, and gives you the ability to edit position, lighting, and texture mapping—all inside a 3D layer. There’s also support for video formats such as QuickTime, which can be opened as video layers, and with the new Timeline panel you can scrub through and edit the video by applying corrections and filters, and even cloning across multiple frames.

The new animation capabilities allow you to create motion graphics from layers and layer styles all within the new Animation Timeline. Both versions of Photoshop support basic frame-by-frame animation, but the new animation features in Extended interpolate motion between keyframes giving you more fluid animations which can be exported as an image sequence or as a QuickTime video file. Even though it’s limited in what properties can be animated, Photoshop CS3 has a much smoother integration with Adobe After Effects CS3. For instance, you can import layered files into an After Effects composition and all the layers styles will be maintained without having to rasterize them in Photoshop.
The measurement and analysis features give engineers and medical professionals the tools they need to open industry-standard file types such as DICOM an MATLAB. They can enhance these images nondestructively for presentations, apply annotations, create animations from multiframe files, and record and export measurements. The applications of these features are relevant to such medical disciplines as ophthalmology, dentistry, pathology, radiology, etc., not to mention its use in architecture and engineering.

CREDIT: COURTESY OF ADOBE

So now that brings us back to your original question: “Which version is right for me?” Simply put, if you work in any of the specialized fields that would use these core extended features, then Photoshop CS3 Extended is the way to go. If you’ve been using Photoshop for years as a design, imaging, and compositing tool, then Photoshop CS3 standard is all you need. And don’t think that if you buy standard that you’re getting shortchanged with a watered-down version of Photoshop. Aside from these specialized features found only in Extended, both versions have a host of new features that every Photoshop user can get excited about, such as a streamlined interface, integration with Photoshop Lightroom, improved curves, new selection tools, new alignment features, and nondestructive smart filters. So you can see it’s not a matter of one being better than the other; it just makes you ask yourself a different question: “What am I going to use Photoshop for?”

Where Lightroom Fits In

BY SCOTT KELBY

So where does Adobe Photoshop Lightroom fit in with all this? First and foremost, Lightroom is a tool strictly for photographers, and it was designed from scratch by Adobe as a tool to help photographers get their work done faster, more efficiently, and to make the whole process easier (and more fun).
Lightroom has five main modules: The Library module is for sorting your images, working with metadata, and managing your entire library of photos (even tens of thousands of images from shoots that span years), and it pretty much replaces Bridge for most of the photographers I know.
The Develop module is where you process your RAW, JPEG, and TIFF images and because it offers tools and features that Camera Raw still doesn’t offer, for many photographers (myself included) that module replaces the need to use the Photoshop CS3 Camera Raw plug-in.

The Slideshow module pretty much kills the limited slide show capabilities of Bridge (just the fact that it lets you add music to your slide show puts it out front, but that’s just one of the many advantages it offers), and the Web module is the best way Adobe has ever created to quickly and easily put your portfolio, or a client proof sheet, on the Web.

But my favorite part is the Print module, which is so brilliantly designed that it makes it hard to want to print directly from Photoshop ever again. So, for photographers (and only photographers) it’s an incredibly compelling package that will change the way you work with your digital photos in a very meaningful (and fun) way.

CREDIT: SCOTT KELBY

So, does Lightroom replace Photoshop? Absolutely not—it’s designed to work along with Photoshop (although admittedly there are some photographers who will be able to use Lightroom alone for their entire workflow). Lightroom and Photoshop work together to create what I call “the new digital photography workflow,” and as amazing as Lightroom is, it won’t be long before you find yourself needing to do things that Lightroom just can’t do, like serious retouching, working with layers, applying filters, running actions, adding professional-level typography, or one of the hundreds of things that we still rely on Photoshop for. But put these two together, and you’ll be working faster, getting more done, and having more fun than ever before.

So, here’s how I use these two together: I use Lightroom for all my sorting and metadata work, and to process and correct my RAW and JPEG images. Then I jump over to Photoshop (the two work seamlessly together, with files moving back and forth between them behind the scenes) to do serious curves tweaks, apply filters, add special effects, portrait retouching, and all the “cool stuff” that only Photoshop can do. Finally, I take the image back to Lightroom before I show the work to my clients, either in a slide show, on the Web, or in prints.

It’s a workflow that has been really well thought out by Adobe. It has made working with thousands of images quite painless, and more importantly it has meant less time sitting at my computer, and given me more time behind the camera. And to me, that’s a very good thing.

Email Client Proofs in One Click

STEP 1 Export Image
We’re going to start by setting up a simple automation that will allow us to email client proofs directly from within Lightroom. Once you have this set up, the only real input from you to email photos will be to enter your client’s email address. Then, we’ll take it up a notch and show you a technique for adding some Photoshop automation to Lightroom. To create the automation for emailing clients, start the process by clicking on any photo (it really doesn’t matter which photo at this point), then go under the File menu in Lightroom and choose Export.

PHOTO CREDIT—©ISTOCKPHOTO

STEP 2 Go to Export Actions Folder
When the Export dialog appears, go down to the bottom of the dialog, to the Post-processing section, and from the After Export pop-up menu, choose Go to Export Actions Folder Now. This is a folder on your computer that lets you customize what happens immediately after you’ve exported photos from Lightroom. The default is Do Nothing. That’s not a super-productive choice (if you get my drift).

STEP 3 The Export Actions Folder
This brings up a set of folders hidden deep within your computer (that’s why Adobe gives you this shortcut to finding this folder, or you’d spend the day fishing around inside folder after folder). The Export Actions folder will already be highlighted. Anything you add to this folder will be added to the After Export pop-up menu that you just used in the last step.

STEP 4 Create Alias for Email Application
Go to your Applications (PC: Program Files) folder and Control-click (PC: Right-click) on your email application. From the contextual menu that appears, choose Make Alias if you’re using a Mac, or Create Shortcut if you’re using a PC. This creates a file that acts as a pointer back to the original application.

STEP 5 Move Alias to Export Actions Folder
Take that alias (or shortcut) file and drag-and-drop it into that Export Actions folder you had highlighted just a moment ago. Then, open that folder and rename your alias (or shortcut) with the name you want to appear in the After Export pop-up menu. (In this case, we named ours “email to client.”) Now you can close the Export Actions folder.

STEP 6 Refresh Export Dialog
Now go back to Lightroom. Your Export dialog should still be open onscreen. Click the Cancel button, and then reopen this same Export dialog by pressing Command-Shift-E (PC: Ctrl-Shift-E). By doing this, you’re refreshing the After Export pop-up menu, and if you look now, you’ll see a new After Export option: email to client.

STEP 7 Enter Custom Settings
Adobe created an email preset that’s a great starting place for creating your own preset. From the Preset pop-up menu at the top of the Export dialog, choose For E-Mail, and all the email settings appear. Then, choose which folder you want the exported photos to appear in, and below that you can rename them as they’re exported. You can also choose the JPEG quality, color space (leave it at sRGB for email), and you can constrain the file to any width and height you like. Lastly, from the After Export pop-up menu, choose Email to Client.

STEP 8 Save Custom Preset
Now that your custom settings are in place, save them as a preset. That way, you don’t have to come to this Export dialog for emailing photos, as this will now all be just one click away. To save these settings as a preset, go to the Preset pop-up menu and choose Save as New Preset. Give your preset a descriptive name (we chose “Save as JPEG/email to Client”), click Create, and then click Cancel in the Export dialog. (It’s okay—your preset is saved. We don’t really want to export this random photo—it was just for testing purposes.)

STEP 9 Select Photos to Email; Choose Preset
When you have some photos in a collection you want to email to a client for proofing, just select the photos either in the grid or in the filmstrip along the bottom of Lightroom. (To select the photos, click on one photo, then Command-click [PC: Ctrl-click] on the rest you want to email.) Once they’re selected, go under the File menu, under Export Presets, and choose Save as JPEG/email to Client (or the name you chose for your preset).

STEP 10 Type in Your Client’s Email Address
Lightroom will now export your selected photos as JPEGs using the size and quality settings you saved in your preset, and then your email application will automatically launch and those photos will already be attached to your email (as shown here). All you have to do is type in your client’s email address. And that will be the process from now on—just these last two steps. Now that you’ve seen what Export Actions can do, let’s get Photoshop involved and really turn up the productivity.

PHOTO CREDIT—©ISTOCKPHOTO

Access Unsharp Mask from Lightroom

STEP 1 Create New Action in Photoshop
With an image open in Photoshop, go under the Window menu and choose Actions to bring up the Actions palette (this is a recorder that records your steps—really great for repetitive tasks). Choose New Action from the Action palette’s flyout menu on the top-right corner of the palette to bring up the New Action dialog. Give your action a name. (In this case, we’re going to create an action that applies a good stiff level of sharpening to our photos using the Unsharp Mask filter, so we named our action “Unsharp Mask.”) Now hit the Record button.

PHOTO CREDIT—©ISTOCKPHOTO

STEP 2 Record Action for Unsharp Mask
Go under the Filter menu, under Sharpen, and choose Unsharp Mask. When the Unsharp Mask dialog appears, for Amount enter 120%, for Radius enter 1.0 pixels, and for Threshold enter 3 levels (as seen above). Click OK to apply this sharpening to your photo. Then, go under the File menu, choose Save, and then close the document. Go back to the Actions palette (which has been recording all your steps), and click on the square Stop Recording icon at the bottom of the palette.

STEP 3 Create a Droplet from the New Action
Go under the File menu, under Automate, and choose Create Droplet. In the dialog, choose your action in the second pop-up menu. Click the Choose button to select a destination for your droplet and to name it (we named ours “Photoshop Unsharp Mask” and chose to save it to our Desktop). Click OK and a separate file is created. If you drag-and-drop a file onto this droplet, it would automatically launch Photoshop and run that action, applying the Unsharp Mask filter, then saving and closing the document. Do you see where this is going? I thought so!

STEP 4 Create Custom Sharpening Preset in Lightroom
Move this droplet into the Export Actions folder. Then, go back to the Export dialog in Lightroom. You’ll see a new After Export choice: Photoshop Unsharp Mask. When you select this option, each exported photo will be opened, sharpened, saved, and closed. Save a new preset with this option so that anytime you need to sharpen photos that you’re exporting, you can select it from the File menu, under Export Presets. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but at least now you can start adding a new level of automation to your work in Lightroom and Photoshop.

1. CreativeBits: www.creativebits.org
2. Dave Cross Online: http://davecross.blogspot.com
3. John Nack on Adobe: http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack
4. Nikonians: www.nikonians.org
5. Terry’s Tech Blog: http://web.mac.com/terrywhite/iweb
6. Digital Shot: www.digital-shot.com
7. The Photoshop Blog: www.photoshopsupport.com
8. Quark Vs. InDesign: http://quarkvsindesign.com/news
9. The Online Photographer: http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com
10. Creative Guy: www.jdempsey.com

What I like so much about these websites is that they give unique insights into the industry, but more importantly, they also offer tips. (And if you read my “Letter from the Editor” in this issue [p. 6], then you know how I feel about tips.) Hopefully, you’ve bookmarked these sites and have been visiting them every morning just like me.

Well, since then I’ve added five more websites to that list, so I thought it was time to revisit the topic. So here we go with “More Websites You Might Not Know About.” Okay, this article should really be called, “Lesser-Known Websites I Visit Every Day, Except for the Ones That Don’t Post Anything on the Weekends,” but then you probably wouldn’t read it. Why? Because it’s about me, instead of you, and you only want to read things about you because you’re so you-oriented. (Personally, I would prefer that you were more me-oriented.) In fact, I’ll bet you bought this magazine just so you could learn some new techniques, to help you in your business, so you can make more money, so you can buy yourself some more nice things for your house. (See what I mean about your “you” thing? It’s kind of sad. Really.)

Anyway, some of these are only lesser-known because they’re so new, but I thought you’d want to know about them; some have been around and are steadily growing their audience; and some have a huge audience already, but I want to make sure you’re part of that audience, because after all, I care about (who?), that’s right—you. That’s why I’m sharing this list of important sites for creative people (yes, like you) so you can make your life more fulfilling for you and your friends.

These sites I’m about to unveil (to you), plus the 10 mentioned above, run the gamut from being about design, photography, our industry, and anything I think might help you (and yours). They’re not in any particular order, so let’s start with #1 because, well, it’s first:

1. Lightroom-News.com (www.lightroom-news.com)
   This new site is the sister site to the popular PhotoshopNews.com, and the editors are Jeff Schewe, well-known Photoshop insider; and Martin Evening, the famous London-based Photoshop author, instructor, and fashion photographer. Although the site just launched, it’s off to a great start, and has some great heritage behind it, thanks to it being a part of the PSNews family. If you’re into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, this site has to be on your daily must-visit list.

2. Daily Tips to Improve Your Photography (http://dailyphototips.blogspot.com)
   Dave Cross (http://davecross.blogspot.com) recently turned me on to this one. This site gives a photo tip every day, but not just in the short “Tip 1,” “Tip 2” style; there’s more meat to it than that. The tips are well done, well illustrated, and the site is very useful all the way around. If you’re new to digital photography, this should become a must-visit site, as the author, Daniel J. Watkins, does a nice job in helping new users along.

3. Moose Peterson’s News Blog (www.moosepeterson.com/moosenews)
   If you’re a photographer, you’re going to love this site—if not for Moose’s amazing outdoor and wildlife photography, then for his real-world reviews of pro high-end camera gear and accessories. Much like Terry’s blog from my original list of sites, it gives you the straight scoop that you’re not likely to find presented in the same way anywhere else. Although it’s not updated every day, it’s updated frequently enough that I check it every day just in case.

4. Photoshop Insider (www.scottkelby.com)
   Okay, this is my personal Photoshop blog, but it’s little known as well. Because I publish it for my personal friends and NAPP members, it’s very photography- and Photoshop-oriented. I update the site almost daily, and I try not to post things that you can find everywhere else. I wouldn’t call it a news blog (although I do include some news) because it’s more just stuff that I would tell a friend, which can be anything from the scoop on a new piece of gear I’ve been trying out, to a site somebody turned me on to, to links to cool Photoshop work or photography, and even to some cool unrelated Photoshop stuff from time to time. I also post some of my own photography and lots of info on photo gear, studio lighting, location lighting, and plug-ins. Plus, I usually list where I’m teaching on the road and post on-location reports. If you haven’t seen it yet, stop by and say howdy.

5. Lightroom Killer Tips (www.lightroomkillertips.com)
   This is my buddy Matt Kloskowski’s site. Although the site was launched as a blog to support his Lightroom Killer Tips video podcast (available free on the site, or as a free subscription on iTunes), Matt posts Lightroom-related news and tips at least three days a week, and the popularity of the site (and his podcast) is soaring. The site is very nicely designed (it has a very Lightroom look and feel to it), and there’s already lots of information there, so it’s worth a good Saturday afternoon to soak it all in.

So, my friends, there you have it—a cornucopia, a plethora, a veritable salmagundi (or at least 15) of important, yet under overexposed sites that are worthy of your (yes your) attention and visitation. Have fun!