AAUG Reviews

by Chuck Maas, AAUG Member

In just a few short years digital imaging has largely eclipsed film as the method and medium for making photographs. The ease of capturing and sharing images via e-mail and on the web has a magnetic draw that’s hard to resist. However, digital image files require some means of transfer and storage, so computers have become an integral part of the picture-taking process.

For Mac users, Apple’s iPhoto program readily meets the needs of many of users providing a slick interface and capable (though basic) image adjustment and file management. But there are limits to its capability, and for those wishing more control, including the processing of RAW files to extract the highest possible image quality, a step up is required. In the past, that step was often a pretty big leap all the way to Adobe Photoshop, long recognized as the industry’s heavyweight standard for image editing programs. But Photoshop is expensive, has a very steep learning curve, and makes big demands on computer resources, preventing many from taking the plunge. Because of that Adobe saw the opportunity for an in-between product and brought us Photoshop Lightroom.

So what does Lightroom attempt to achieve? Here are Adobe’s words: “Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom software is the professional photographer’s essential toolbox, providing one easy application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs so you can spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens.” In a nutshell, (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

Adobe Illustrator’s new version, CS3, is a big step. Now with Live Color that allows one to control and apply variations interactively, and yes, edit so you can see results immediately. I liked the Color Guide feature, showing and allowing me to easily choose shades, tints, and make combinations on the fly. Also new was Live Trace, it allows you to quickly convert scans, photos to editable and scalable vector paths, worked great. The tools pallet now has Eraser, that really helps us all. And now Illustrator CS3 works much better with it’s other design applications like Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat.

I liked the addition of Document Profiles, setting the parameters that allow new docs for a specific final output. An example of the new drawing tools is the Crop Area Tool, that easily assists in crop down a specific rectangular part of an image, versus the old way of draw a rectangle and make a clipping mask. The Eraser is a much valued addition, it lets you modify existing parts of the illustration just as you would in a paint application. When you pass over the Eraser tool over an object, the tool automatically alters and reshapes it, so it looks partially erased, worked great.

Integrating Flash is a big win. You can now import Illustrator files into Flash, copy, paste objects between both easily. Move text as a vector object or dynamic text. (more…)

by Randy Brandon, AAUG Member

Wow… GoLive 9!

I am trying to think back to exactly when I first got my hands on GoLive? And if memory serves me well, I think that it was probably GoLive version 3.

So here I am all of these years later sitting at my computer launching this latest version of Adobe GoLive 9.

Time has been kind to the GoLive program, and it was really all due to the good folks at Adobe who have nurtured it through numerous versions all the way to this latest incantation of GoLive 9.

I had been hearing rumors that Adobe was thinking of,(or already had) dropping the GoLive program from their list of products. So I was delighted when GoLive version 9 was introduced.

On to the program…

I was initially drawn to the Adobe GoLive program because of a few features that I really needed to have in a program that I wanted for my web design. And the one that stood out above all others was the ability to design web pages on a grid. And it might also be a good thing to mention that I managed to skip GoLive CS1, and 2 versions, so this latest version is almost like starting from scratch. (more…)

by Gary Miller, AAUG Member

InDesign CS3 is a big step from my version, InDesign CS. Many new features, ease of help, and videos to get one started, and now Photoshop like effects, better search features, while the controls, sometimes called the ‘interface’ are better, but could be simplified. It is an amazing tool for your design work, be it full on graphic designers, or like me, gives me the ability to create better quality work, with more control, it’s definitely worth the money and time to learn it.

Let’s get started. The install requires you quit all apps because it puts many shared pieces in many places. The new window you see, really is a good awakening to what’s in store for you.

As you see, i was able to go right to getting started, learn quickly what’s new, or search out resources in it, or on Adobe’s website. You also see, Adobe had expanded it’s user group community to include inDesign, like it’s general purpose user grp, which AAUG belongs, or it’s others, like Acrobat. The directory of add’l plug in’s is helpful, as you come up against new jobs requiring add’l skills. I really appreciate this. I went right to the videos supplied to give me a tour. First up, was Using the Control Panel, high quality video’s by Lynda.com were shown, Adobe offering a brief tutorial in how to use the video controls. well done. Next I wanted to see what was new. The creative effects For example the satin effect that applies interior shading in a satin like finish. The plus is that you can experiment in seeing what you can do without permanently altering your project, til you’re ready. (more…)

by Randy Brandon, AAUG member

Yes, Adobe Photoshop CS 3 has arrived!

I have been so busy with recent projects that I had not even bothered to download the earlier beta version, so I am literally starting this review of CS 3 from square one.

And upon first opening it up, my initial thought was simply  WOW.  But the longer version could also have been:  “And now for something completely different”.

Seasoned Photoshop professionals,(and virtually everyone else for that matter) will barely recognize this newest version from its totally reworked user interface(GUI).

As you all know Adobe Photoshop is always shipped with the Bridge browser.
And since there have been major changes to the entire program it is only fitting to start off with the initial software that opens prior to Photoshop CS 3.

I had heard about some of the changes made to Bridge, but I had no idea as to how comprehensive that they were.

BRIDGE.

When the user first opens the new Bridge, you are presented with a much more formal looking layout in a stylish neutral gray color.  And now everything in the window is basically a tab.  (more…)

by Randy Brandon, AAUG Member

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1 is finally here….Cheers erupt from the crowds!
Yes, the final release version 1.0 is shipping now.

There has been a “beta” version that has been out for several months now, and the final tweaks were finally put all together into this release number 1.0.

The initial beta was posted on the Adobe website January 9th of 2007, but few people know that the actual programs itself has been in development for a full 4 years at Adobe.
And it was put together as an entirely new way to sort, and edit images, and was built that way from the ground up.  And this alone is a different concept, as many image editing programs are simply reworked assemblies of previous programs.

Believe me when I say that the entire program looks, and feels way, way different than I have ever seen come out of Adobe.
So my initial trepidation at diving into uncharted waters was running at full tilt when I loaded the program up.  Everything is different.  So, I set about trying to learn where all of the controls are, and how to make them all run.

So, here goes:  There are five main modules in Lightroom:  Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web.  And their respective functions pretty much exactly match their titles.
(more…)

by Jack Mosby, AAUG Member

The 272-page “Adobe InDesign CS2 HOW TOs - 100 Essential Elements” by John Cruise and Kelly Kordes Anton provides an excellent resource for the beginner. Both authors are experienced InDesign users and/or certified instructors. Topics range from the basics of the opening screen, creating documents and text frames, typography, tables, lines, shapes, graphics, and objects to managing long documents and creating graphic rich PDF files. Each topic is covered in two to three pages often with one or more side bar hints. The book was written for the beginner and intermediate user in mind and address both MAC and Window applications.

“…100 Essential Techniques” contains 11 chapters and an extensive 10-page 3-column index. This one’s a keeper!

Chapter 1 “Getting Started with InDesign” covers 8 elements from the welcome screen to the toolbox to plug-ins.

Chapter 2 ” Working with Documents” covers 8 more elements from creation to templates to adjusting the display quality.

Chapter 3 “Working with Text” is the largest one with 17 elements ranging from text frames to formats to styles.

Chapter 4 “Typography and Tables” addresses 13 elements from special effects to anchoring to table creation and formatting. Please include in future editions how to realign text especially for tables in a landscape format.

Chapter 5 “Drawing Lines and Shapes” covers 5 elements including basic and complex features for both.

(more…)

by Richard Geiger, AAUG Member

What is Aperture? The program is Apple Computer Company’s answer to a digital workflow for digital images. The program tries to recreate the days of editing slides on a light table. The program is like the professional version of iPhoto with more power. It is also designed to handle RAW images which most professional Single-Reflex-Lens (SLR) cameras can shoot.

The program is a digital workflow program and has many nondestructive editing features built into it. The program is not a substitute an external image editor such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or other photo editing programs if you are interested in more creative editing. Aperture works in conjunction with these programs. Apple updated Aperture from version 1.1 to version 1.5 while I was working on the review. Apple has added 20 new features to the program so the book is somewhat out of date but the basic functions of the software have not changed much.

I wrote the review based on version 1.1. Reading Apple’s website, version 1.5 will make the program easier to use with other Apple programs such as the Apple’s iLife Suite and the iWorks and a more flexible library management for example.

The authors Ellen Anon and Josh Anon fit a lot of information in 297 pages. The di-mensions of the book are 10.0 x 8.0 x 0.7 inches so the book is easy to take along with you if you use Aperture on a laptop. The book has plenty of white space and color photos so it’s easy on the eyes. The chapters covered by the book are Welcome to Aperture, (more…)

by Ronald Schoedel, AAUG Member

Over the past few years that I’ve been playing around with Photoshop Elements, I’ve read a few books about it but none that had really impressed me. Most claimed to hold great secrets, but I found that I must have already been in on those secrets, and I tended to get little out of those books. Reading “Advanced Photoshop Elements 4 for Digital Photographers” by Philip Andrews changed that.

Andrews sets out to write a book for digital photographers, and he does just that, showing you how Photoshop Elements (hereafter “PSE”) can become a vital and helpful part of your digital imaging workflow, from shooting to printing and publishing your shots.

Chapters such as “Scanner and Camera Techniques” and “Photo Organization and Management” waste no time in leading you straight into how to ensure you get the best quality photo your camera and scanner can produce, and once you’ve captured them, what to do with them when you get them onto your computer. The book is very much Windows-centric, so there is no mention that I could find of Mac-specific tools (such as integration with iPhoto, for example). But if you can get past the fact that there is no Mac-specific content, and that all the screenshots are of PSE running on Windows, you will still get a great deal out of the book.

Advanced editing and image changes such as making selections, using masks, quick-fixes, layers, and all the other buzzwords that make PSE somewhat daunting for new users are all well-explained by Andrews. Whether you have never used PSE or have used it casually and are now ready to kick up your use of the program to new levels, you will find something for you in here. (more…)

by Jerrianne Lowther, AAUG Member

Deke McClelland knows his subject very well and presents it in a clear and orderly way so new learning rests on a solid foundation. I liked his earlier book, “Look and Learn Photoshop 6,” but when I tried to update my knowledge with his Total Training DVD-ROMs for Photoshop CS2, I didn’t retain the learning very well. There ought to be a book, I thought. A well indexed reference book where you can look things up and review the learning without having to hunt through a DVD-ROM video. To my surprise, there IS such a book — this book.

The format works: read the lesson, watch the DVD-ROM video lesson, do the exercises, take the quiz at the end of the chapter. Each lesson is designed to be understandable to those without much Photoshop experience and still include a few techniques that even experienced users probably don’t know. And he does it all with good humor — he’s a funny guy and his exercises tend to be both fun and funny. Work files and video lessons are all included on the DVD-ROM in the book, which is bound so it lies open and flat on the desk without any hassle.

The DVD-ROM also contains a file to set up Photoshop on your computer with the settings and keyboard shortcuts Deke uses on his computer. It didn’t work for me and the error message said my Photoshop wasn’t found in the default location … possibly because I was using a Mac and not a PC. However, I read another review posted by someone who had the same problem. He said he was contacted by the author about the install issue and the author then had a Total Training developer contact the reviewer and resolve the issue. I might try that.

The first eight lessons, the ones I care about, are mostly about photography — organizing photos with the Adobe Bridge file browser, embedding metadata, correcting brightness levels, adjusting color balance, fixing flaws, using masks, sharpening images (more…)