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Rangefinder Magazine
April 2003

Digital Photography by John Rettie
Learning from Photoshop Gurus

Photoshop World:
Apart from games, there are not many computer programs that elicit so much enthusiasm from their users that conferences are arranged around them. Not just for learning but for socializing and having a good time. Photoshop has become such an iconic program that it has its own three-day show not once but twice a year. The most recent Photoshop World was held in Los Angeles and over 1300 users attended. Apart from 60 classes covering every aspect of the program, there was also an exhibition and even a rock concert and competition between competing Photoshop wiz kids. Kids is probably the wrong word, these were Photoshop gurus—over 20 of them including people such as Deke McClelland, Bert Monroy, Lynda Weinmann and Jack Davis. You’ll no doubt recognize these names as they are authors of many of the books on Photoshop that that have sold in the millions.

Photoshop World is held twice a year, once on the east coast and once on the west. It is organized by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), which was founded by Scott Kelby. He is a Photoshop book author and instructor as well as being editor of Photoshop User and Mac Design magazines. NAPP membership costs $99 a year and includes a subscription to Photoshop User (8 issues per year), access to a members-only area on www.photoshopuser.com as well as discounts for services and products. In addition, members get a $100 discount on the attendance fee for Photoshop World. As each issue of the magazine sells for $9.95 on the newsstand, the annual membership fee is a worthwhile investment.

Back to Photoshop World. Photoshop is such an incredibly powerful image-editing program that it is widely used by artists, video producers, graphic artists and web developers as well as photo labs and photographers. Because of this wide group of users, the conference has tracks that cater to different interests. At any given time there were six different one-hour seminars going on, which made it difficult for users who had different needs to attend them all. Fortunately the organizers duplicated some of the more popular seminars such as color management and retouching.

One of the tracks was for digital photographers and two Atlanta-based photographers, Jim DiVitale and Kevin Ames were among the speakers. They even held a fashion shoot, demonstrating the workflow using a digital camera back and then retouching the final images in Photoshop. In another session they described the use of plug-ins, such as NIK Sharpener and Photokit, which are aimed at professional photographers.

The accompanying exhibition was quite useful as there were several mini seminars held in the exhibit hall as well. Exhibitors at this Photoshop World included Apple, Adobe, Nikon, Epson, Wacom, Auto F/X, Peachpit Press and other publishers and plug-in providers. In the future, NAPP says they will open the exhibition up to those who are not attending the conference.

It goes without saying that every photographer using digital cameras and/or scanning in images from film can benefit from attending Photoshop World. Even if you don’t join NAPP or attend the three-day conference, which cost $299 for the recent happening, the exhibit alone is worth a few hours of your time. What’s perhaps most impressive is to see how enthralled attendees are at learning about a computer program. I imagine the atmosphere is not much different from a convention for gamers.

	The metal-framed AG Neovo X-174 LCD monitor looks classy enough to adorn a reception area.

AG Neovo LCD Display
It seems that more and more flat-panel LCD displays are finally becoming good enough for use by photographers who need accurate color rendition. A good 19-inch CRT monitor still costs considerably less money than an equivalent 17-inch LCD monitor but if you value space on your desktop or want a monitor that doesn’t weigh over 50 lbs an LCD is a viable alternative.

Recently I have been trying out an intriguing 17-inch LCD monitor from AG Neovo. Its unique feature is that it’s made out of metal and has a flat glass screen covering the entire screen and body. Finished in black it looks really classy, which would make it an ideal monitor for use in a reception area of a studio. An added advantage of the glass screen is that it protects the normally fragile LCD screen from damage and makes it much easier to clean.

The disadvantage to the glass screen is that it can reflect some light in some situations. It has a special patented NeoV Crystal Optic Filter coating that goes a long way toward alleviating the problem. There is a slight color tint to it, which some people find annoying, but on the whole I found it unobjectionable and it certainly rendered accurate photo images. One of the nicest things about an LCD monitor is the crisp displaying of text and the flicker free display. There was no streaking effect when scrolling either, which is as much a function of the graphics card as anything.

The X-174 model I tried has a maximum resolution of 1280x1024 with a viewing angle of 160 degrees vertically and horizontally. It comes with inputs for a regular analog 15-pin D-sub, digital DVI and S-video TV signal. There is an optional wall mount kit and a display arm for alternative mounting. The retail price is $999 but I have seen it advertised for as low as $700. It’s certainly a monitor I could live with every day.

DSL or Cable?
As I work out of a home office I have been able to use Cox Communications, my cable TV company, as my broadband Internet provider for the past few years. On the whole I’ve been happy with the service. Yes, there’s been some down time every now and again and the service does seem to slow down at peak hours. In reality I suspect it’s the Internet as a whole and individual sites I’m accessing as much as it is any bottleneck caused by using a cable modem and a line to the station that’s shared with my neighbors.

If your studio is in a nonresidential area you’re unlikely to be able to obtain Internet access through a cable TV company. Instead you’ll probably use DSL provided by your phone company. In order to receive DSL your location has to be within a certain distance of a telephone exchange. DSL providers claim that speed is more consistent as lines are not shared. On the other hand, speed slows down the further a location is from an exchange.

When a Verizon telemarketer called recently and offered me a 30-day trial of DSL service I accepted as it would give me the opportunity to try both services side by side for a period. Within a few days a package arrived containing the DSL modem and a CD-ROM. I was amazed that the installation program worked on my Mac in OS X and within minutes I was hooked up to the Internet. Not long ago one heard horror stories about problems people were having getting DSL modems to work, so obviously Verizon at least has done a good job of simplifying the process. One annoying feature of DSL though is the need to attach a filter to every phone jack that’s being used by a phone. But at least a half dozen filters were included in the installation kit.

Honestly I could not discern any difference in download speeds between DSL and Cable. Both seemed identical and both slowed down when accessing certain sites at busy times of the day. On the other hand, there was a distinct difference in upload speeds. I uploaded a 1MB JPEG picture and it took 47 to 50 seconds on each occasion on the cable modem. The same file took 80 to 83 seconds on the DSL modem. In my situation the cable service was definitely the speedier service. The monthly charge for both is $39.95 where I live so there’s no cost differential. Cable modems can be purchased for as little as $50 nowadays and DSL modems are often given away free if you sign up for a year’s service contract. Obviously I’ll stick with my cable service but it’s good to know that either service is comparable.

Plug this NeverWire 14 unit into an Ethernet port and a regular power outlet and the electric cabling is transformed into an Ethernet network.

Alternative LAN Cabling
There’s no doubt that the best way of constructing a reliable Ethernet-based Local Area Network is to use Category 5 or 5e cable. This allows transfer speeds up to 1000 MB per second, at least if you’ve got new Macs networked together. The majority of other computers and peripherals can transfer at 100 Mbps. Internet access maxes out at less than 10Mbps so cable/DSL routers are only rated at 10Mbps.

The newest idea is to use wireless networking as it obviously allows for maximum flexibility. The problem is that speeds are slower (up to 11 Mbps) and connections are often adversely affected by other wireless transmissions, walls and metal objects. In addition, security is poor as it’s very easy for other wireless users to hook into a network.
One idea that has been touted for a while is to use regular electric wiring in a house. It has also proven to be difficult to get working reliably. However a new Powerline Ethernet Bridge system called NeverWire 14 has just been introduced by Phonex that is incredibly simple to set up and seems to work very well. The units are rated at 14 Mbps but the manual says the effective transfer rate is about 8 Mbps, which is comparable to wireless. To set it up, the first unit is plugged into an existing Ethernet hub, switch or DSL/cable modem. It is then also plugged into any power outlet, avoiding the use of a surge protector. A second unit is then plugged into another power outlet, hooked up to the Ethernet port on the computer and it’s on the network. No software or settings are required.

I have a wired Ethernet network partially completed in my home but there is one computer that’s had a “temporary” external Ethernet cable for several months. It’s now hooked up to the LAN using two NeverWire 14 units and it works just as well as a cable. It certainly looks tidier than having a 25-foot long Cat 5 cable running along the wall and through a door opening! All in all it’s a good alternative to a wireless system for reaching remote or difficult to get to locations in a house or yard. Phonex says that up to 16 of the units, which cost $129 each, can be used to network computers and other peripherals.

	Photoshop 7 Professional Photographic Techniques is an ideal book for photographers who are new to Photoshop.

Quick Book Review:
Photoshop 7, Professional Photographic Techniques
This unusual Photoshop book is a compilation of techniques written by four authors from four different countries. The 266-page book, published by Friends of Ed, is 11 chapters long with each chapter acting as a stand-alone technique for improving or manipulating a photograph. The chapters start with a shot of an original image alongside the final result. The author then goes into step-by-step details on how to produce the final image. In one chapter, for example, there is a detailed description on how to change the head of one person and add a missing person to a photograph of a business meeting. If you’re fairly new to Photoshop this full color book is probably as good as any at teaching how traditional photographic processes can be done in a digital darkroom. Advanced users might find some of the techniques a little oversimplified.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 33 years, a computer for 23 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past ten years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.