Photoshop 2 for Photographers Work Flow Syllabus

Instructor:  Garry Stasiuk             Clark College Continuing Education         
                                           http://uofgts.com        
Class web site:  http://uofgts.com/PS-P2Site/

Rule #4: Never Assume you can fix it in Photoshop

Recommended Software

Photoshop CS4 (Mac and PC) 
    I highly recommend the upgrade to Photoshop CS4 
    Purchase $699
    The upgrade is $199.00 plus Tax if you have Photoshop CS through CS3
   

    The Free Adobe plug-in Camera Raw is a must have

    The last version for  CS4 Mac is Camera Raw 5.6 For Macintosh
    The last version for  CS4 Windows is Camera Raw 5.6 For Windows
  
    The last version for  CS3 Mac is Camera Raw 4.6 For Macintosh
    The last version for  CS3 Windows is Camera Raw 4.6 For Windows
         
    For CS2 Mac the latest version is Camera Raw 3.7
    For CS2 PC the latest version is Camera Raw 3.7
    For CS (Mac & PC) the latest version is Camera Raw 2.4
    For CS PC the latest version is Camera Raw 2.4

     I also recommend the installation of the Adobe DNG File converter.
     (It is usually attached to the the Camera Raw plug-in download)

Photoshop Elements 8.0 (Mac and PC)
The upgrade is $79 for owners of previous versions and $119.99 new with Plus membership

The Free Adobe plug-in Camera Raw + DNG Converter is a must have

Recommended References

The books listed below are available for all versions of Photoshop CS*

The Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby (Also Available for Photoshop Elements, CS2 and CS)
Photoshop Studio Techniques CS 2 or CS3 Author: Ben Willmore
How to Wow: Photoshop for Photographers CS 2 or CS 3 Author: Ben Willmore
Real World Camera Raw With Adobe Photoshop CS 4 Authors Fraser, Bruce/ Schewe, Jeff

Acquiring your photos 

Rule #1: Never throw away data.
Your Camera Settings
1. Setting the camera's color space
        Most cameras have a menu setting for color space
                1. ProPhoto RGB (Largest Color Gamut)
                2. Adobe RGB
                3. sRGB                (Color gamut matches CRT monitors)
 Choose the largest color gamut available for your camera, however some cameras use sRGB as a pre-set
You can determine what color space is preserved in your photos by looking at your cameras EXIF data, In Photoshop the menu item is
File > File Info... Camera Data 2 You can also look at the EXIF Meta data in the Adobe Browser or Bridge under the Meta data Tab.

2. Setting File format Jpg? Tiff? or Raw? (See rule #1)
Shoot in raw format, however sometimes intended use determines file format.
If you are just shooting for the web or 'small' prints .jpg format will suffice.
3. Resolution (See Rule #1)
Record your photos with the largest pixel size available, unless ease of use and final output dictates otherwise.

Exposure

The  Key to Digital Darkroom Photography

Use the Cameras Histogram and Rule #8: Bracket, Bracket, Bracket
and
Rule #2: Photograph, Photograph, Photograph inotherwords Rule #2 is:  Practice, Practice, Practice

Equipment Calibration 

Monitor, Camera, printer, and Scanner

Or, how do you know that the color you see on the screen is what the camera captured and
why doesn't my printed colors match what I see on my computer screen???

Transfer to Computer

Rule #5: Backup, Backup, Backup

Using the Bridge or, Using a dedicated catalogue/database program, Adding Keywords, and other Meta data

Finding the Keepers

Way harder than you think. Rating your photos

Enhancing Photos --- Non-Destructive Editing

Destructive editing irrevocably change the values of pixels.
Non-Destructive editing allows you to tweek your changes later.
We will focus on NON-Destructive Editing through the use of Layers in Photoshop and PSE

Rule #6: Save, Save, Save

Non-destructive Editing of  Jpg and Raw files in Photoshop by using layers
    
Some of the Photoshop tools you need to learn... This list will evolve, for now here are some suggestions
Clone, Eraser, Selection, Crop, Dodge, Burn
3rd party Plug-ins worth considering for Noise Reduction, Sharpening and Black & White conversion

Publishing!  Sharing Your Photos

    Printing tips and techniques

Archiving the Keepers

 
Key Board Differences
Key Boar Differences -Mac & PC