Photoshop
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Honey, get the camera...it's Wii's first ad!
Over in Germany, the magazine "Games Aktuell" has printed what appears to be the first Wii advertisement from Nintendo. It's quite obvious that despite the momentum Nintendo has, they need one hell of a marketing campaign to reach the desired non-gaming crowd. Is this a start?The ad is amazingly simple, to the point of several accusations of "WTF LOL PHOTOSHOP". While many of us may have to ability to make such an ad, its simplicity still has a certain, ah, je ne sais quoi unbegrenzte kraft, no? Today, a German magazine ad. Tomorrow, the world Opera!
Retro Mac: Photoshop 1.0.7
Creativebits has taken a trip in the way back machine all the way back to 1990 when Adobe released Photoshop for the very first time. They compare Photoshop 1.0.7 to the current iteration of Photoshop and go over some of the features that were missing in that first release that graphics folks couldn't live without now adays.If you would like a comprehensive tour of Photoshop splash pages head on over to GUIdebook which has them all (and from whence I got the image that accompanies this post).[via Coudal Partners]
Review of Photoshop plug-in Alien Skin Exposure
Here's one for you Macheads who use Photoshop. If you don't mind if I blow my own horn for a second, I had the opportunity to write a review of a cool Photoshop plug-in - Alien Skin Exposure - for Macworld. Check it out here.Exposure bridges the divide between digital and film photography, by offering a quick way to mimic the look of classic film stocks. One click gets you the saturated color of Fuji Velvia film, the graininess of Ilford Delta 3200 black and white, or the rich blacks of Kodachrome. I liked it so much I gave it a 4.5 mouse rating.
Apple extends WWDC early registration to July 7
An ADC email just arrived announcing Apple's extension of the WWDC early registration deadline to July 7. This email also features John Penn II, Senior/Lead Computer Scientist for Adobe Photoshop - at least now you know one of the guys who's responsible for making [insert idolized star here] look so good in that lifetime tabloid subscription you have. Better yet, if you're a code nerd, maybe you can go learn a thing or two from Mr. Penn II since you can still save $300 on an early registration.
Automator Action Packs galore
In my newsreader today I saw an 'iPhoto Action Pack' from Automator World that adds a handy action for workflows involving iPhoto: "Find iPhoto Item Path". While debating whether that was TUAW-worthy, my newsreader became bombarded with more headlines like System Action Pack, TextEdit Action Pack, Preview Action Pack... until I finally decided to post a roundup to cover them all in one fell swoop. So here you go kids, a whole batch of Automator Actions that add some missing abilities to everyone's favorite (or the only?) OS automation utiliity: System Action Pack iPhoto Action Pack Filemaker Pro Action Pack TextEdit Action Pack QuarkXPress Action Pack Preview Action Pack Photoshop Action Pack InDesign Action Pack These actions, to my knowledge, are provided free from Automated Workflows, LLC.[UPDATE: Automator World's admin stopped by to let us know that some of these action packs are actually demos of retail versions of these products offered by Automated Workflows, LLC.]
Video game merit badges; Tetris is the new archery
In this Worth 1000 Photoshop contest, entrants were tasked with creating a "real-life merit badge." Our favorites: this 2600 joystiq joystick, a Tetris badge, a Pac-Man badge, and a weird Half-Life lambda logo in a pink triangle ... though we're not sure that one's game related. While those are all really boss, I'm really wanting a Geometry Wars badge. Busting 1mln points certainly deserves something more than a simple XBL achievement![Via Boing Boing]
Photoshop Automator Action Pack 2.2
Ben Long has released a v2.2 update to his most excellent set of Photoshop Automator Actions, a collection of over 70 workflow-enhancing actions for automating everything from switching color modes to cropping images and even archiving them to a disc. New in v2.2 is Intel Mac compatibility (some actions simply wouldn't work) and two new actions - Filter by File Type and Assign Custom Profile. Of course, there are the obligatory bug fixes and enhancements, so check out Ben's announcement post for details on this excellent action pack, and scroll down quite for details of this specific v2.2 release.Photoshop Automator Actions are donationware and available from Ben Long at Complete Digital Photography.
Who needs an Intel Mac? Sign me up for a PowerPC G6 Macintosh
Intel Macs are so yesterday. I'm all about the "PowerPC G6 Macintosh," and it's only $499 to boot!Engadget found a company (who might have already been threatened/litigated out of existence by the time you read this) by the name of Red PC who is selling a computer they call the "PowerPC G6 Macintosh." But wait - in addition to getting a supposedly next-gen PPC cloned Mac - there's more! Included in their Apple-defying price of $499 (along with this gorgeous case) is a hacked version of Mac OS X (it's reportedly a Pentium-based machine), Microsoft Office 2004 and - drumroll please - Photoshop CS2!Nothing says "I'm feeling suicidal" like stepping on the toes of three of the largest players in the computer and software industries.
ChocoFlop - powerful image editing
Even as an alpha image editor, I think it's safe to dub ChocoFlop a true "poor man's Photoshop." It offers layers, real-time preview of filters and effects (of which there are many), a slew of selection tools, blending modes, masks, color adjusting and a whole bunch of file formats it can save to and even more it can read from - including many versions of RAW. For the full details, check out the longest image editor feature list I've seen in a long time.As an alpha it's free, and the author has stated on his blog that, once it goes official and commercial, ChocoFlop won't cost more than $50 USD. I haven't cracked this open yet myself, but if you've been looking for a powerful image editor that offers quite a bit more than the standard CoreImage-based options out there, ChocoFlop should be right up your alley.
How-to make an Xbox 360 in Photoshop ... why?
Before anyone spends more than ten seconds reading this post, I'll warn you: I don't know what the point of it is. That being said, if you're still reading and you still crap in the comments, I'll just point and laugh. Now, let's begin.A tutorial at deviantART goes through the step-by-step process of crafting an Xbox 360--not from shiny next-gen technology (chips, RAM, and what have you) but from the dark magic of Photoshop. I can't really think of many uses for this 'cept one: if you've been lusting after an Xbox 360 and keep a folded up image of one in your wallet to stroke, lovingly, from time to time, now might be the time to trade up. Render your own and duplicate that feeling of owner's pride we all place in our consoles (real or fabricated).
Someone finally tests Adobe apps on Rosetta vs. PPC
Bare Feats has been busy with their Mac OS X vs XP tests earlier today and now this. From what I can tell, they are probably the first site to post some benchmarks of non-Intel native Adobe apps, specifically Photoshop CS2 and After Effects 7.0. Check out the machines they used, and note the equality of RAM: MacBook Pro CD/2.0 -- Apple Intel MacBook Pro with 2.0GHz Core Duo and 2GB of memory PowerMac G5/2.0 -- Apple Dual Single-Core G5/2.0GHz Power Mac with 2GB of memory PowerBook G4/1.67 -- Apple PowerBook G4/1.67GHz with 2GB of memory Not surprisingly, the PowerMac swept the floor with the MacBook Pro, but to my delight: the PowerBook didn't perform that much better. In fact, in the After Effects render test, the MacBook actually beat out the PowerBook.The SP (Single Processor) Actions test is where you can really see the performance void of Rosetta apps on the MacBook Pro, as the PowerMac and PowerBook clearly are going home with the prom queen.Still, I'm glad to see that the MacBook Pro will perform more or less like my PowerBook G4 when running these pro apps, especially since I'm living in After Effects these days. Unfortunately, I now must curse Bare Feats for ever performing these tests, as they got my 'hmm, maybe I could upgrade' gears grinding again. Thanks guys.
Make a request for Adobe CS3
We're sure you've heard the news by now: No universal version of the Adobe pro apps until 2007. The good news is that Adobe is currently taking your suggestions for the upcoming Creative Suite 3. You've got the ear of one of the world's software giants, so speak up.[Via creativebits]
Roundup: what you are (or will be) doing with Windows on your Mac
While I'm sure the results will come as no surprise, I still wanted to do a roundup of our TUAW reader survey: What will you do with Windows on your Mac, as there were some interesting comments outside of the norm. Obviously, most of you are planning on using Windows solely to play games (which says something in and of itself about the utility of Windows), but I was more interested by the other uses you had in store, which include: AutoCAD/3D design .NET programming web development, testing IE sites those workplace-specific apps that simply don't have OS X counterparts - yet One commenter, Yaknowho, also brought up the idea of using Windows on a Mac to run some of the larger apps that haven't gone Universal yet, like Photoshop. I actually just touched on this topic over at The Unofficial Photoshop Weblog, where I found a few tests that show the MacBook Pro (ironically) not only runs Windows faster than most Core Duo PC notebooks, it also runs Photoshop - under Windows - faster than the competition as well.We live in a strange world when a Mac can run Windows faster than machines designed to run Windows.
Automator actions for Photoshop CS/CS2
David Chartier, at The Unofficial Photoshop Weblog, recommends a set of Automator actions for Photoshop CS and CS2 that you shouldn't miss if you're into Photoshop or digital photography. Version 2.0 of Ben Long's Photoshop Action Pack includes scores of actions for controlling Photoshop functions and automating photography and graphics production workflows from your Mac.These Automator actions are potentially more powerful than regular Photoshop actions because Automator can control functions outside, as well as inside Photoshop. For example, you can use them to manipulate a batch of images and then automatically upload the images to a server or archive them to a DVD. Version 2.0 of the Photoshop Action Pack includes 22 all new actions, additional features for existing actions, and an important bug fix related to batch processing.You can download the Photoshop Action Pack for Photoshop CS or CS2 from the Complete Digital Photography site. While you're at the site, notice that Long is also the author of two books, Complete Digital Photography and Getting Started with Camera Raw (both of which are on my bookshelf), as well as numerous articles. If you do download this donationware, Long would appreciate a Paypal donation.
MacLive registration opens
MacLive is a 3-day conference and workshop for Mac-toting creative professionals everywhere. The more than sixty workshops focus on Photoshop, Motion & DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut Pro, Mac OS X, the iPod, After Effects and a lot more. This is the very first MacLive conference, and it's put on by the folks at Layers Magazine (which is the successor to Mac Design Magazine). Registration is $699US, but you can save yourself $100 if you sign up before April 17th. The event will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in NYC on May 11-13, 2006. Sounds like a great time.
ImageWell goes universal
xtralean's ImageWell has gone universal. I can't say enough good things about this simple little application. In fact, every image I post to TUAW has been edited with ImageWell. If you need to do some quick-and-dirty image editing, like a resize, reshape, crop, stroke or watermark (basically any task for which Photoshop would be overkill), look no further than ImageWell. You can even FTP your image to .Mac or the FTP or WebDAV server of your choice, directly from ImageWell. Plus, it's free.Other changes in version 2.1 include: Dutch localization "Send to folder" option Command-S keyboard shortcut for "Save" (YES! This has been Command-Shift-S for too long!) ImageWell requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later. I love it. Check it out.
Shadow of the (adorable) Colossus
What kind of person would take an adorable Flickr image of an adorable puppy, quizzically tilting his adorable head, and photoshop him into a giant colossus from Ueda's beautiful Shadow of the Colossus? A genius, that's who! The colossi are tragic characters; slaying each one results in a sort of post-coital depression, the totality of your deed laid before you. From now on, with every reflection on the game and its tragic colossi, I will only see puppies. Adorable, fluffy puppies. Brilliant. [Via Cathode Tan] UPDATE: The genius behind the image was aeg1x at Shacknews. Thanks, prfectjon.
6G iPod pics (aka Photoshop is fun!)
Reader, bl8ant writes in with this email: "6gen ipod images? hi, dont know if they are real or where they came from (other than on a server connected to a computer at a desk at a certain company that i'm freelancing at), but i can't find this version anywhere on the web, so who knows? anyway, it's a cool idea, real or not. where can i email or upload them to you at? they're 2 jpegs, low res. —bl8ant" So, I emailed him with our address and he sent in the pic here and the second one that can be found after the jump in this post.They look real to me. Real fake that is. Still cool look and concept, but imagine the lawsuits and scratching complaints that would arise if Apple really did go this route... I'd still probably buy one, but as you know by now, I'll buy anything.
Rig of the Day: Do you have enough displays?
Sure, the G5 Power Mac on the floor is cool, as is the iPod and the Xbox 360. But check out the four image-spanning displays! Is that TUAW on the Cinema display, with my Munsters post front and center? Seriously, could you run Photoshop on this setup or what?"Untitled" posted by scorpioca77.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
Photoshop not Universal until next version?
Our very own David Chartier has posted on the Unofficial Photoshop Weblog that there are rumors that Adobe has no plans to make their current offerings into Universal applications (ones that run natively on both PowerPC and Intel based Macs). If this is true, and at the moment this is pure conjecture, then that would mean Photoshop pros will need to pony up the cash for the upgrade if they want to run Photoshop on an Intel Mac. It is a given that most Photoshop pros would upgrade anyway, so the real let down is the length of time that we would have to wait for the upgrade to come around.Let's hope this rumor is just that, and Adobe is feverishly working on a free (a boy can dream, right?) update to their CS2 apps that will make them Universal applications.
