And thanks especially to everyone who ever visited the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog!
Heading into retirement
Unfortunately, I'm not talking about myself. But as Jan indicated in her final post, the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog is heading into the autumn of its life. Here at Weblogs, Inc., retirement is an active state of being. The blog will remain archived for reference and searching. Many thanks to Jan Kabili and David Chartier for their fine contributions. They are both remaining in the Weblogs, Inc. network -- you can find Jan and David blogging on TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) and elsewhere.
And thanks especially to everyone who ever visited the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog!
And thanks especially to everyone who ever visited the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog!
The Final Post
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/08/photoshoponline_logo2.jpg)
And don't forget to catch David and my posts on all things Apple over at our sister site The Unofficial Apple Weblog.
HDR -- High Dynamic Range Photography -- in a nutshell
![hdr dialog box](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/08/hdr.jpg)
The trick is to take several shots of the same scene at slightly different exposures and merge the images into one 32-bit HDR file in Photoshop (CS2 only). Shoot in RAW format. Be sure to use a tripod so your camera doesn't move between shots. Bracket exposures by changing shutter speed one stop for each shot, without changing your aperture. In Photoshop, choose File>Automate>Merge to HDR, and browse to your bracketed shots. Choose 32 bits as the bit depth if you want to retain all of the tonal information. Photoshop will merge the multiple exposures into one 32-bit file.
The merged image may look washed out at first because an HDR image contains a larger dynamic range than your monitor can display. You can adjust Photoshop's preview of the merged image by choosing View>32-bit Preview Options and adjusting Exposure, Gamma, and Highlight Compression settings there. These settings do not affect the image -- only the way it appears on your monitor. To adjust the image itself, choose Image>Adjustments>Exposure. In the Exposure dialog box, use the Exposure slider to adjust the highlights, the Offset slider to adjust shadows and midtones, and the Gamma slider to adjust , well, the gamma. Save the 32-bit file in Radiance (.hdr) format. If you want to manipulate the image further in Photoshop, convert it to 16 bits so you have access to more tools and features. You can print the 16-bit file, or convert it to 8-bit for printing.
NAPP Lightroom training updated for Windows
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/napp.jpg)
And if you want to see what other users are saying about the Windows beta or post your own impressions, join in on Adobe's Lightroom Beta Windows discussion board.
Windows version of Lightroom beta now available
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/06/lightroom_banner.png)
Last month Adobe released a third beta of Lightroom, and now a Windows version is available for download. It doesn't seem like any major new features or updates have been added, but Windows users can finally stop re-forwarding request emails to the Adobe Labs team and take Lightroom for a spin.
Being that Lightroom has seen three (beta) versions on the Mac, we'd like to hear your thoughts on how well the Windows versions performs and stacks up to its counterpart.
Animated plane flying through clouds
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/airplane.jpg)
Free stock photography resources
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/bluevertigo.jpg)
Tips for mocking up a web page in Photoshop
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/webtips12.jpg)
Download a chapter from Eddie Tapp's new Photoshop book
![photoshop workflow setups](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/design.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/tapp.jpg)
There's lots of good stuff here, including Tapp's suggestions for setting up different palette combinations for different types of work, like color correction, masking, or retouching. The chapter includes instructions for using the Match Zoom feature (Window>Arrange>Match Zoom) to view multiple images at the same magnification, using Full Screen Mode to show your client an image against a clean black background (F, F, Tab, and then Command/Control+zero to center), and using the New Window command (Window>Arrange>New Window) for detail work.
There are so many Photoshop books that rehash the same old lessons, that it's refreshing to see a book on a unique topic like workflow setups.
iStockphoto Screen Saver 1.5 beta
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/07/istockphotoscreensaver_icon.png)
The screen saver can be had from iStockphoto's downloads page, though on my Intel-based MacBook Pro I received an error from the Screen Saver Preference Pane stating that this screen saver couldn't be run - which leads me to wonder if it isn't Intel-ready yet.
Either way, it at least sounds like a handy screen saver to help quench your iStockphoto obsession; anyone have any thoughts on this new version?
Pixel Groovy - digg.com for design tutorials
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/06/pixelgroovy.png)
Photoshop Automator Action Pack for Mac OS X
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/06/photoshopactions.jpg)
- Add IPTC Captions to Photoshop Documents
- Apply Unsharp Mask to Photoshop Documents
- Apply Watermark to Photoshop Documents
- Assign Color Profile to Photoshop Documents
- Close Photoshop Documents
- Extract IPTC Captions from Photoshop Documents
- Flip Photoshop Documents
- New Photoshop Document
- Open Images in Photoshop
- Resize Photoshop Documents
- Rotate Photoshop Documents
- Save Photoshop Documents
- Trigger Photoshop Action
- Trim Photoshop Documents
Lightroom beta 3 released
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/06/lightroom_banner.png)
Adobe has released a third beta of Lightroom, their photo management and editing app specifically designed for professional photographers. Check out the release notes (PDF link, since HTML is so 1995) for the full details, but highlights include improvements to import and export options, live comparisons of image adjustments in Before and After previews, an additional straightening tool, as well as a new Web module (apparently heavily influenced by forum feedback - cool) with HTML and Flash export options.
This sounds like a slick new release, and I'll crack open the download sooner or later and give it a look. Unfortunately, there still isn't a version for Windows users, though they are offering a sign-up notification form if you'd like to be on the list.
[via MacNN]
O'Reilly Network debutes 'Inside Adobe Lightroom' site
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/06/InsideAdobeLightroom.jpg)
[via Daring Fireball]
John Nack posts concise analysis of software features vs. leanness
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011042413im_/http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com/media/2006/05/SoftwareUINackPost.jpg)
John Nack has written a very interesting analysis of what could be summarized as 'the state of large software suites'. In it, John presents some of the issues and arguments against large software suites that are designed for a wide variety of audiences (what some people now refer to as 'bloatware'), but also succinctly explains why this situation exists and describes what he calls a "Contract with the Customer"; a sort of public statement that they're making sure their software remains usable and understandable while at the same time adding layers of functionality that some users are demanding.
John brings up a lot of the issues that I've wanted to for some time now, especially in regards to this movement of minimalist software. It seems like these über-stripped down software and services, such as the popular Backpack (of which I am a user myself), are in direct response to consumer confusion and backlash of this aforementioned bloatware. What is interesting about these anorexic services is that, once you peruse their forums, you find that a significant body of users have their two cents on the one or two 'necessary' features that are missing. If a good number of these avenues are explored, software ends up right back where it started: as a larger suite, offering something for everyone. John's statement is that this isn't necessarily a bad thing; that as long as software and service providers simply think critically about how their software is structured and designed, everyone can enjoy their products without feeling put off, overloaded or knocked back down the learning curve ladder.
Kudos John, you hit it right on the head.