Description:
Photoshop isn't just for breakfast anymore. This amazing program isn't just for use by imaging professionals for complex image enhancement and correction, it's also a capable and efficient illustration tool.

In this class you'll learn the basics and beyond from a professional designer and illustrator who has been using Photoshop since its introduction in 1986. Go beyond basic image adjustment and correction to actual illustrative art and power-user techniques to add creative value to your digital imaging products and services.

In our all-day class, we'll take a tour of the tools and palettes, and learn about various image file formats and their uses in different media. (There's an evolutionary hierarchy of image file formats, from single-celled bit-maps to high-res intelligent, free-roaming vectors) We'll learn the basics of how to craft the appropriate file formats for all your various media requirements.

Image editing is only the beginning. When you finish this course, you'll have all the skills you need for competent color correcting and enhancing, retouching and compositing.

During this time, we'll take hourly breaks to keep our minds fresh and our bodies comfortable. We'll eat snacks, drink drinks, have lunch and talk about all things digital. Bring your lunch, let's discuss strategies and techniques during our mid-day break.

Be creative, be productive, be amazing. Be there.

An outline of our laundry list of skills for this course looks like this:

A. Pre-Class discussion. Come early. Tell me what your favorite things and biggest headaches are with regards to digital media. Let's get both hands on the steering wheel and decide where this class will take us and how fast.

1. Tour and tools. See how the Photoshop workspace helps you be productive AND creative. We'll discuss what we need Photoshop for and how we'll use it. We'll dip our toes in the paint demonstrating basic concepts and techniques with some simple digital finger-painting.

Review what we just learned. Bonus technique or easter egg.

Break

2. Core concepts. Let's talk about image file formats and their uses in various media. We'll demonstrate the differences between GIF, RIFF, TIFF, PICT, JPEG and vector formats. What's each for? Why do we need to know? Why should we care? How can we leverage this knowledge to get the best results for our projects?

Review what we just learned. Bonus technique or easter egg.

Break (exercise your fingers, swing your arms about, get that fresh oxygenated blood back up into your brain, keeping you awake, alert and ready for new knowledge)

3. Hands-on, do-it-yourself demo time. Let's talk about layers. They're magic. Use them to work better and faster. Use them to create cool effects. Show, hide, group, combine, apply effects, masks, adjustments and filters. (Keep your brains on tight. Many students experience an increase of physical brain mass of at least 10%, leading to minor headaches in rare cases, following this part of the class)

Review what we just learned. Bonus technique or easter egg.

Break (water, cookies, a short nap)

4. Quick After Lunch Review (QALR). A quick review of what we just learned, a brief discussion of where we'll use it.

4.5. Filters and Effects. How to apply and use effectively. What, where, how and most importantly WHY we use them. How to get the most out of them creatively. Apply in light coats to avoid drips and runs.

Review what we just learned. Bonus technique or easter egg.

Break (jumping jacks)

5. Masks and Filters. The basics of making good selections using finesse and skill. How do we apply those filters and effects JUST to the areas of the image where we need them? We'll learn the magic power-technique of the QuickMask feature. We'll use it only for good, never evil.

Review what we just learned. Bonus technique or easter egg.

Break (three laps around our brains, march around the room playing popular movie themes on the kazoo)

6. Let's talk techniques. Let's put this product to work. We'll demonstrate and cement in our minds all of the above with easy hands-on demonstrations. We'll discuss where we want to take our learning from here. We'll talk about other uses for Photoshop (besides digital imaging) and how it fits into our daily workflow.

Let's wrap this up. Our magical mystery cruise comes to a close with a review of everything we experienced in this class.
Post-flight de-brief. Stay in touch. Send me e-mail. Let me know how you're doing and what headaches you might still be experiencing.

We recommend registrants bring their lunch in order to participate in the discussions that will occur during the lunch break. BDA provides complimentary snacks and a range of beverages.

Though the class is taught using our state-of-the-art Mac computers, please be aware that the Mac and PC versions of this software are nearly identical - the only real differences are the keyboard shortcuts.

Presented as a Hands-On Intensive:
Longer format (full day or multiple days) in-depth intensive training. Students use our state-of-the-art, fully loaded Macintosh computer lab. For maximum impact and the best student experience all intensives are limited to six participants.

Instructor:
Tim Meehan operates his own Colorado-based sole proprietorship offering high-level, knowledge-based, creative, technical and support services to companies around the world.

Tim has almost 30 years' experience as a professional graphic designer, illustrator and trainer. His company, 21st Century Graphics, has been providing graphic support services in design and illustration to a broad range of national and international clients with a focus on productivity, creativity and fun. Along the way he has been published as an expert in various digital topics from QuarkXPress to Photoshop to Final Cut Pro.

Tim was one of the first graphics professionals to recognize the potential that the computer held for the professional designer. In 1984, early in the Macintosh product life cycle, Apple Computer, Inc. sought Tim out after seeing samples of the work he had been producing on the Mac. Since then, Apple has hired him to speak at numerous special events promoting Macintosh capabilities to audiences around the US.

Today Tim spends his time supporting graphics clients as a designer, illustrator, web developer, writer and trainer. He is one of the first members of the Apple Consultant Network and currently acting in a leadership role on Apple's ACN Advisory Council.

BDA Member Cost: $225.00 ($235.00 after Monday, March 22, 2010)
Non Member Cost: $260.00 ($270.00 after Monday, March 22, 2010)
Become a member to save $35.00