Posted: April 15th, 2009 | Author: Jennifer Farley
In my third Photoshop interview, I’m talking with designer Heather T. Heather runs a lovely design blog ooh la la artsy, not, sells her designs on GetDigiWithIt and designs and sells rubber stamps at Artneko.com. (All images are copyright Heather T.)
Hi Heather, thanks for taking the time for an interview! Let’s start with your background. Tell us a little bit about that. (eg. Study, work)
Well, I have somewhat of a chequered career–I grew up in Switzerland and moved over to the States to go to college to study English, with a minor in Fine Arts. I met someone and stayed in this country, went to grad school and got a Master’s of Teaching in French. Didn’t like the public schools, so stayed in school (see a pattern?) and got a Doctorate in Romance Languages. Through a crazy jumble of events I ended up becoming an in-house graphic artist at a mechanical construction company, and managed to take one year of graphic design courses before I became pregnant. After that I just worked from home doing website design and logos and the occasional newsletter, along with selling handmade greeting cards.
How did the move into selling your designs come about?
Through a friend, I became involved with an online stamping group, and because of a serious lack of funds, was trying to enlarge my stash of rubber stamps with clip art. Of course I didn’t like the clip art all that much, and so began to modify and redraw them, and then I just started making my own designs based on ancient Japanese paintings. Before too long, a stamp manufacturer who was also on the list contacted me, and I became a rubber stamp designer for Art Neko.
A couple of years later, as a part of another company’s creative team, I became involved in the book the owner was writing on Asian scrapbooking (Scrapbook Asian Style by Kristy Harris, Tuttle Publishing, 2008). So I sort of explored scrapbooking from the digital side, and really got into making my own layouts–and of course I had to make my own stuff. It took a long time (almost a year!) until somebody would give me the chance to sell in their online boutique, though!
You have a very nice design blog – http://oohlalaartsy.blogspot.com/ – how long has that been running and how has it affected your career?
Thank you! I think I’ve had that for less than a year, actually, and it’s grown with my career. I needed a place to share some technical aspects that weren’t so interesting to my family… I’ve had a family blog since before blogs existed (I used to just change a web-page every week or so), and I post my photos/layouts there to keep them in touch, since they’re far away. In the digital scrapbooking field a good way to get your name out there is to give away stuff, so that’s been a good venue for that as well.
Tell us a little bit about your work on Art Neko
Well, I mentioned how that came about earlier. One way it’s really changed my approach to designing is that it forced me to get a tablet, as I developed serious tendonitis in my forearm from trying to draw such intricate material! I never, ever use a mouse anymore.
Here on Laughing Lion Design, we’re very interested in all things Photoshop. How important is it for you?
It’s almost the entirety of what I do. I’ll occasionally make stuff in real life and then either scan it or photograph it, and I’ll use Illustrator at times also, but really Photoshop is my mainstay tool for most of my creating.
Did you teach yourself Photoshop or have you attended classes?
I’m entirely self-taught in any of the graphics programs I use. During my brief year of graphic design courses, the only computer-based course I attended was on using Quark (and I use InDesign at the moment for preparing newsletters and tutorials).
Can you give us an example of your workflow from taking a pic through working on it in Photoshop.
I use photography in two ways. One is the more traditional one, as the subject of a layout; the other is as fodder for scrapbooking items. For the first use, I open a photo and immediately run autolevels on it, then fade with screen (most of the time, unless I’m going for artsy). Then I use the curves function, adjusting middle grey. I think if I printed stuff out more I’d probably do further adjusting, but a lot of what I do is web-based, and small modifications just don’t show up that well. Cropping is another function that I love to play with, though.
For designing scrapbook elements, I use a lot of texture photographs and overlay them onto background designs to give the papers more depth; I also do a LOT of extraction, isolating the object from the background in order to turn it into a scrapbooking element. I can’t really give you a good workflow because everything will require its own treatment.
I also use Photoshop for creating my layouts, many of which are for me little pieces of visual poetry to accompany the actual poetry I write. This is where I’ve gotten very intimate with Photoshop–it’s a beautifully powerful tool. The workflow for this is quite different–I just open up a canvas, drag stuff onto it, and start playing. Layer blending, drop shadows, and text manipulation really come into their own here.
What is your favourite tool in Photoshop and why?
An almost impossible question… =) For extractions I like to use the pen tool; for photographs I use the levels function and the fade options a lot. I think that the layer blending modes are the most fun to play around with, though!
What Photoshop shortcuts have you learned along the way that have made a difference to your workflow.
Soooo many. Having my right hand on my tablet and keyboarding with my left hand has pretty much become such second nature that when I’m teaching, I actually have to move my hand to remember which keys I’m pressing. =)
Do you use any actions?
Only occasionally, except for a terrific action I picked up on deviant.art somewhere that changes a black and white drawing into a transparent file with black lines, so that the grey parts become translucent. I couldn’t do what I do without it, and I searched high and low for something like that! Other actions I use are mainly for workflow–resizing elements for packaging and the like.
What version of Photoshop do you use? If it’s not the latest version, do you think you will upgrade?
I use CS2. I’d love to upgrade, but I only make about $50/month. *laugh* This is more a labor of love than anything else…
What other software do you use?
Illustrator, with an occasional foray into Art Rage and CorelPaint, which I just was given. I also use FontCreator to make my own fonts (though I have a long way to go with that skill!).
What are you favourite online sources of inspiration?
My Google reader is stuffed with individual artists’ blogs and other, disparate design sources. Your blog is among them, Jennifer. =) I keep a folder with downloaded images and .txt notes on work that I think will be useful in some fashion.
What is your favourite thing and least favourite thing about running your own design business.
Favorite thing? Complete flexibility. Unfavorite thing? No money. But then again, I have a 6 year old I’m trying to educate at home, and that requires most of my attention…
And finally, for you, the colour of happiness is ….
Often, misty gray — the fog from the ocean across the street floats past my window in little drifts and gives me a secure, cocooned feeling. But then again, the deep blues and teals of the waters, contrasted with the stark white of foam, really gets my happy-meter on up there!
Heather, thanks a million for taking the time to take part in the interview.
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Posted: April 3rd, 2009 | Author: Jennifer Farley
In my second Photoshop interview, I’m delighted to talk to designer and photographer Jason D. Moore. Jason runs an excellent blog on Photography and Photoshop which is bursting with information. (All images in this post are copyright Jason)
Hi Jason, thanks for taking the time for an interview! Let’s start with your background. You’re a web and graphic designer but studied a completely different field. Tell us a little bit about that and how you got into that role. (eg. Study, work)
First off, thanks for inviting me to do this!
I’ve always been a creative/artistic person but never really thought about it as a career. I got my degree from Boston University studying the religions of the world, something that’s always interested me, but wasn’t entirely sure where that would take me.
I was the editor of my high school yearbook and did some (very bad) sports photography on the sidelines of our team’s football games when they got to the sectionals and that sort of thing. But I never thought much of it, other than knowing I enjoyed the feeling of being behind the camera.
I worked at a department store portrait studio one holiday season during my junior year, which gave me some training and exposure (no pun intended) to posing and composition techniques.
My dad worked as a producer for a television station for awhile and owned his own production company – where I eventually worked for 5 years – and I would often come along to help out and really found some great inspiration and encouragement.
One of the real turning points for me, though was when I got my first digital camera – a 3.2MP HP point and shoot – before I studied abroad with the Semester at Sea program (www.semesteratsea.com) during my senior year of college. That is when I first started using Photoshop and turning my images into more than just snapshots.
I only wish I had realized my passion for photography earlier so I could’ve really studied it academically.
Do you feel your design background gave you “an eye” for photography.
I think my photography has influenced my design work as much as my design work has influenced my photography. Many of the same principals apply to both – composition, color, tone, how you use contrasts, textures, etc.
I think you can, to a greater or lesser degree, acquire an eye for photography and design. But it’s also true that no matter how much you learn and practice you aren’t guaranteed to have that truly “artistic eye” that you’re talking about. You can become a competent designer or photographer, but may never be great if you don’t already have “the eye.” It’s like any other talent, really. In some ways I think you’re just born with it and, if you choose to develop it, you can really do something special.
You have a very successful photography and photoshop blog – http://www.jasondmoore.com/blog – how long has that been running and how has it affected your career?
I’ve been writing online since the end of August 2002. When I went on Semester at Sea I started a voyage log that chronicled the trip for my family and friends back home. When I got back I just kept it up as an online journal and finally turned it into a blog in the summer of 2005.
The shift to a focus on Photoshop and photography – and the development of the blogroll community – happened in 2006 as my knowledge and skills in Photoshop really took off. I also got my first DSLR that year and began to get really serious about my photography.
I think the blog has been more personally beneficial than helpful to my career. I’ve made more online friends and developed a number of connections with members of the world of Photoshop because of the blog than I ever thought possible. It’s be quite humbling and awesome all at once.
With that said, in a way, I got my current job because of the blog. I won a design contest run by a fellow blogger from this area and when I told him I was going to be moving here he pointed me to an opening at the company.
Also, with my blogging experience I’ve taken on a few company blogs to help with our search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Here on Laughing Lion Design, we’re very interested in all things Photoshop. How important is it for you?
Photoshop and Photoshop education are very important to me. Ever since I first started watching tutorials online I’ve been hooked and I eat up as much training as I can get my hands on (and afford) so I can stay current. I also get a joy out of sharing that knowledge with others.
Did you teach yourself Photoshop or have you attended classes?
The quick answer is “yes.” My older brother first exposed me to Photoshop – and he’s not really an artistic person – so a lot of what I know came from experimentation. It got to a point though, where I realized that I needed to learn more if I wanted to move forward. So I joined NAPP and watched videos, read articles, and eventually went to Photoshop World a couple of times to learn first-hand from the best Photoshop educators in the world.
I think you need to have a balance between the two. It’s important to learn the mechanics but it’s also important to find your own way.
I see that you are an Adobe Certified Expert. Why did you decide to take that exam? And was it hard? Has the certification helped you in any way?
I don’t have any formal design/photography credentials and felt that I needed to take the exam so I would have something that told others that I knew what I was doing. But also, I took it to see if I could do it.
The exam was hard, and it’s meant to be. One of the tough things was learning areas that I didn’t work with everyday and also re-learning things because the exam asks you how Photoshop was engineered to work, not necessarily the best way to do something.
I think it’s given me some extra credibility in the Photoshop community and it’s certainly a plus when it comes to my resume.
Can you give us an example of your workflow from taking a pic through working on it in Photoshop.
Every image is different and so there is no such thing as a “typical” post-processing workflow for me.
I’ve loved Camera Raw since I bought my first DSLR but ever since the first beta version I’ve been hooked on Lightroom and there’s been no turning back.
Admittedly, I’ve never been formally trained in photography and still do a lot of guessing, trial and error, and relying on some of the camera presets to get the job done in-camera. My real strengths, I think, are more in composition and framing and so I focus on what I do well while still learning the more technical stuff.
I usually setup the shot as best I can so that it’s not just a snapshot but rather a medium for telling a story or expressing an emotion or idea. I always take at least 3-4 shots of a given angle so I am more likely to get something in focus and usable – hopefully on a tripod or using a faster shutter speed. Then I take it into Lightroom to make sure I get the white balance, exposure, shadows, highlights, sharpening, etc. looking good. In LR I will also do some more artistic processing with vignettes or a B&W conversion or some local adjustments to make sure everything is pretty close to what I had in my mind when I released the shutter.
A lot of the time it ends there, but if I need to do any finer adjustments or apply any effects I’ll move over to Photoshop. There, I try to use Smart Objects and Adjustment Layers whenever possible to preserve editability without sacrificing pixels.
For presentation, I bring the files back into Lightroom and export using one of the built-in Flash web galleries. I don’t do much printing, but I usually output through Lightroom as well.
What is your favourite tool in Photoshop and why?
It’s really hard to pick just one… It’s not a tool, but I really love masks. When I first learned about adjustment layers and layer masks it really made a difference for me. When the whole “black conceals and white reveals” thing clicked in my mind, everything changed. So I think I have a certain connection with masks.
What Photoshop shortcuts have you learned along the way that have made a difference to your workflow.
There are a number that I use all the time like Ctrl-J for duplicating layers, [ and ] to resize brushes, Ctrl-Shift-Alt-E to stamp visible, the spacebar for switching to the hand tool, Ctrl+ to zoom in/Ctrl- to zoom out and Ctrl-0 to fit to screen are used a lot too.
Do you use any actions (free or purchased)?
I use a couple at work for when I’m creating clipping paths for product shots but I don’t really use any in my personal workflow. I know how useful they are, and should use them more, but I’m still a little behind in that area.
What version of Photoshop do you use? If it’s not the latest version, do you think you will upgrade?
I just upgraded to CS4, actually. I haven’t had much time to play with it yet but I’m glad I can finally get around to getting up to speed.
I don’t think it’s always necessary to have the latest and greatest. Photoshop is only a tool and while it’s important to have good tools, it’s the talent behind it where the real magic happens.
What other software do you use?
I use Photoshop Lightroom a whole lot for the majority of my initial processing. I used to use Acrobat Pro a lot for creating interactive documents for clients but have been moving more into InDesign lately for layout, and hope to learn more.
What are you favourite online sources of inspiration?
Another tough one… I look at the blogs of my members at least once a week and get inspired all the time by what they come up with and/or what they link to. Sometimes when I’m in a rut I just take a look and see what they’re up to and I can usually find something to jump start my creativity again.
Do you have aspirations to go fully Pro with your photography?
Yes. I’m not there yet but I’ve been dreaming of turning my passion into my profession. I’m sure I can do it but I know that I need to make sure I do it right.
I think I could really do a good job writing and/or teaching Photoshop and about the art of photography – even though I’m not great at the mechanics of it – even if I’m not a working photographer selling my images/prints. I’ve done some portrait work but I’m not interested in going the wedding photography route.
And finally, for you, the colour of happiness is ….
I’d have to go with something close to #2c5472 (various shades of slate blue) but my wife and I are very attached to fall colors – since we were married outside in the fall surrounded by the colourful foliage, so I’d also have to go with something from the other side of the spectrum along the lines of #ad0000.
Jason, thanks a million for taking part in the interview.
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Posted: March 25th, 2009 | Author: Jennifer Farley
The Photoshop interview is a new feature that I’m starting here on Laughing Lion Design. Each week I’ll interview a different person about their profession and how they use Photoshop as part of their job. I’m delighted to start this series with photographer, Claire Wilson, known in many circles as Ginger Pixel. (All images shown in this interview are copyright Claire Wilson)
Hi Claire, thanks for taking the time for an interview! Let’s start with your background. You started your professional career as an animator. Tell us a little bit about that. (eg. Study, work)
Well, I studied animation back in the Don Bluth days when we were still using pencil and paper. I did a Classical Animation course in Ballyfermot for 3 years and planned to go into studio animation but when I graduated I wasn’t even 21 so I spent a few years travelling.
When I got home in the mid 1990′s the animation industry had imploded in Ireland and Toy Story had changed everything. Computer animation was the big thing and 2d animators like myself were becoming dinosaurs. Some friends of mine had found work in the computer games industry in the UK so I sat myself down and spent 6 months teaching myself Photoshop. I managed to get a job in a games studio in Sheffield doing concept art and environment building, both use Photoshop a lot so I learned a huge amount from my time there.
I spent 5 years in the UK, moving on to 3d animation with EA games for a year before moving back to Ireland when my daughter was born. The studio system is great fun when you are young but it’s not really family-friendly and I wanted to work from home so I could spend more time with Eve.
Do you feel your animation background gave you “an eye” for photography.
It certainly informs how I approach photography. Animation is all about communicating emotion, story, atmosphere, everything one frame at a time. At first I didn’t make the connection or I thought they were two different things but then I met a great photographer called John Michael Cooper and he helped me see that I shouldn’t be looking at them as separate. Talking to him and seeing how he looks at photography like film stills was like a light going off for me.
How did the move into professional photography come about?
All from my blog and from kind people who liked my photography and asked me to take their headshots or photographs of their kids or even their weddings! I never would have thought I wanted to photograph professionally but I found that I loved it. After so long working with only me and my computer it was great to get out and work with people again!
You have a very successful (and award winning) photography blog – www.gingerpixel.com – how long has that been running and how has it affected your career?
I started my blog in 2005 to keep in touch with friends from my travels and let them meet Eve. I was putting photos up because I had bought myself a digital SLR and was trying to learn how to use it. I started discovering other blogs and other photoblogs and leaving comments on them and was shocked to find other people were reading and commenting on mine. People seemed to like my photos and that gave me the encouragement to try and get better. I learned so much from hours and hours spent trawling through other photographers’ blogs.
I discovered I particularly enjoyed portraiture and when a fellow blogger asked me to do her business headshots it made me think about the possibility of actually doing this for a living. I announced a portfolio building shoot down on Killiney Beach and asked for willing models; thankfully some lovely people were willing to be my guinea pigs. It was a slow snowball effect, all word of mouth and word of mouse. Lots of really generous people willing to give me a try even though I had no experience. I still have never advertised in the traditional sense and get all my work through my blog and referrals.
Tell us a little bit about your work today and your new site www.newborn.ie
Well, I’m still an animator, I still work freelance and have done some short films and tv shows as well as computer games work. The difference now is that the balance is shifting towards doing more photography.
Newborn.ie came about because I was looking for a way to differentiate myself from all the other photographers out there. There are so many brilliant photographers doing lovely work and they have their studios and have been working for a long time. My choice was to jump in and try to compete or do something completely different. I love photographing newborns, there’s something magical in those first few weeks…and it’s quite difficult to take a bad photo of a new baby!
Here on Laughing Lion Design, we’re very interested in all things Photoshop. How important is it for you?
It’s huge; every photograph I take goes through Photoshop. I have played around with Lightroom but I always come back to Photoshop. I use it for everything from processing my photos to album design and web graphics.
Did you teach yourself Photoshop or have you attended classes?
I’ve not attended classes but it doesn’t seem right to say I’m self-taught. I have been lucky enough to have been surrounded by lots of other artists who have shared their knowledge with me along the way. I’m also a voracious reader and I will pick apart other people’s actions to see how they got certain effects.
Can you give us an example of your workflow from taking a pic through working on it in Photoshop.
At the moment I do my culling in Bridge. I’ve tried Lightroom for this but the flow isn’t there for me yet. I give the images I like a star rating (ctrl 2) and reject (alt del) the rest and Bridge filters them out for me. I then open them a few at a time and fix the exposure in Camera Raw. If I’m working in black and white I’ll play my bw action on one photo, tweak it so I’m happy with it and then use that photo as my master. After that I drag the layers that the action created onto the rest of my photos and I don’t have to keep running the same action over and over. I do the same for my colour shots if I can so my work will have a uniform look.
If I’m processing my own personal stuff, I’ll play a lot with different actions. I usually have a look that I want to achieve in my head and I’ll play around until I like it. It’s a lot like using ingredients in a recipe.
Once I’m happy I save a large copy and a blog size copy, run a web sharpening action on the small one so it’s ready to be uploaded to Flickr or put in a client slideshow using Lightroom.
What is your favourite tool in Photoshop and why?
Hmm, probably layer masks…is that a tool? I use them all the time. I love how I can go back and tweak different parts of the image by applying a layer and then using the gradient tool or the brush to apply that effect to specific areas. Discovering how to use layer masks was a huge lightbulb moment for me.
What Photoshop shortcuts have you learned along the way that have made a difference to your workflow?
I use hotkeys all the time. Ctrl J to duplicate a layer, Ctrl I to invert it, X to toggle the foreground and background. One that I learned recently that I love is Ctrl Alt T to duplicate your last transform. I use it when creating album layouts and I’m pasting a lot of different size photos into one document. I resize the first one and then Ctrl Alt T the rest to make them the same size. Hard to explain but such a timesaver.
Do you use any actions?
Yes, all the time. I have gathered many sets over the years as well as a few of my own creations and I mix them up a bit to get certain looks. Some of the actions I use the most would be the Totally Rad Actions by the Boutwells and Kevin Kubota’s Artistic Actions.
The Boutwell’s actions are brilliant for creating funky, retro looks and I love Kubota’s cross-processing actions. I run his x-processing ones and then scale them back to about 30% and it creates a really great fashion look.
What version of Photoshop do you use? If it’s not the latest version, do you think you will upgrade?
I’m still using CS3 and am slow to upgrade. I just got the new Canon 5D Mk2 and its RAW files only work in CS4. Right now I’m shooting jpeg so it’s not a problem but I’m sure I’ll upgrade eventually when I’ve saved a few pennies.
What other software do you use?
So many! I use a lot of Adobe software…Lightroom for slideshows and very large photo jobs, Illustrator for vectors, InDesign for brochures and business literature. I use the 3D software packages Autodesk Maya and Max for my animation and dabble in a bit of Flash for 2D stuff.
What are you favourite online sources of inspiration?
Other photographers’ blogs are still my favourite for giving me something to aim for. My RSS feed is bursting with them. I also spend a lot of time on Flickr.com and its Irish equivalent Pix.ie, the groups have been a great source of ideas and the photographs blow me away.
What is your favourite thing and least favourite thing about running your own photography business.
My favourite thing is definitely the shooting and the processing…the creative side of things. I love the feeling when I look through my lens and all the elements come together, that’s the addictive part. I also love the interaction with people on my blog.
Least favourite would have to be the admin; I’m a one woman show right now so I have to take care of everything from orders to managing the books. It’s not something that comes naturally to me and hopefully I’ll get to the point where I can bring someone else on board to help me out.
And finally, for you, the colour of happiness is ….
Purple! My daughter’s favourite colour…well, for this week anyway.
Thanks Claire!
If you work with Photoshop I would be interested in finding out how you use it, no matter what your profession. If you’d like to take part in an interview, then please contact me with a little bit of info about yourself and I’ll get back to you.
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