For the last couple of days, I have been trying to update a client's wordpress website and I am encountering yet again the mother of all problems, the root of every headache when it comes to web design. I run across the issue every single time - whether I am moving a domain and corresponding website to a new server or trying to upgrade a premium wordpress plugin. At the bottom of every complications, I find that 90% of the time, there is a set of username/email address and password … [Read more...]
Photoshop CS4 Retouching: Curves, Levels & Exposure.
March 21, 2011 By 1 Comment
In reality, most images can be fixed with curves, levels, and exposure, and perhaps sharpening. 90% of post-production image editing will use these tools. This section is devoted to revisiting the most fundamental of photoshop tools in depth. Virtually every image benefits by some adjustment. Whether you decide to begin each adjustment with curves because i said it's most often used for beginnings, or whether you decide to go with levels first will be something that will develop as a matter of … [Read more...]
Photoshop CS4 : Image Editing- Adjustment WIth Curves
March 16, 2011 By 5 Comments
Adjusting the tonal range of an image can be accomplished one of two ways: Levels (which provides only three anchor points for control: black, white, and midpoint) Curves (which allows for the use of up to 16 anchor points within the tonal range curve allowing for an increased control over the resulting tonal range) Adobe Photoshop CS4: An Introduction by Dr. Michael N. Roach is now for sale as a PDF Price: $4.99 Sample Pages: There are still a lot of people … [Read more...]
Photoshop CS4 : Intro to Color Settings, Menus, Tools, Healing Brushes
March 14, 2011 By 7 Comments
This section of Dr. Roach's Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Beginners focuses on best practices when starting a project plus a guided tour through the menus and tools. You might think that this information is not useful to you but I have to admit that, even after 10 years of using Photoshop, I am learning something every time I prepared these sections for upload. Up until I read this section, I've never take the time to adjust my color settings until the end of the project when I am ready to output to … [Read more...]
Tested.com previews Mac OS X Lion 10.7
March 2, 2011 By 1 Comment
I was about to write about zapping unwanted apps or publish another section of Roach's Intro to Photoshop, but Matt Braga's review of the upcoming Lion made my tail wag. Considering I drag my feet when it comes to upgrading, it must be special, yes? Just the visual presentation of information on the About This Mac page is enough to make any graphic designer happy, but don't miss out on the new crash handling . Wow! It lets you keep working! Read it all : The 10 Best Things About … [Read more...]
Why does Safari crash so much?
February 24, 2011 By 15 Comments
I have hated Safari since Tiger. Granted, it was an improvement over IE for Mac but a sneeze or butterfly breeze can cause Safari to crash. Its slow response to ad servers is infuriating and, OMG! Heaven forbid a webpage like HuffPO, NYTimes or BusinessInsider has a flash ad in its header. Initially I thought it was specific to my computer, my ISP, or my deodorant. However, I never seem to have the same issues with Firefox. Sometimes Firefox launches and loads a webpage while Safari is … [Read more...]
Review: Disc Cover by BeLight Software
February 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Even though CD's are becoming less used, DVDs for data storage are still going strong, and personal projects such as iMovie and iPhoto still have a strong usage of labeling for stored material. Disc Cover 3 is a delightful software that allows you to print DVD labels and covers and case booklets for music, archives, and anything you are saving to disc. Jewel case inserts can be made easily and cleanly from a tremendous number of pre-designed templates with layouts and art importable from … [Read more...]
Download: Dr. Roach’s Photoshop CS4 for Beginners
February 16, 2011 By 2 Comments
Update: Now that CS5 version has been released as an app, we are no longer offering this pdf for free However, Adobe Photoshop CS4: An Introduction by Dr. Michael N. Roach is now for sale as a PDF Price: $4.99 Sample Pages: There are still a lot of people using Photoshop CS4 even though Photoshop CS5, and now Photoshop CS5.5, has been out for some time. We were contacted by a few students who are still in need of this information so, in the spirit of sharing, this series … [Read more...]
What is Growl and why is it installed on my mac?
February 15, 2011 By 1 Comment
I bought the family pack of Snow Leopard prior to launch. And yet, for someone who has packed up and moved across the country as well as out of the country at a moment's notice, I am resistant to change. At least where my computer is concerned. David Allison and Dr. Roach both upgraded immediately upon receipt and detail their process in separate posts: UPGRADING TO SNOW LEOPARD by David Allison Snow Leopard: One More Installation by Dr. Roach In both cases, the upgrade didn't seem … [Read more...]
Designing The Elizabethtown Blue Jays Logo
February 11, 2011 By 3 Comments
This project was for Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. The College’s Director of Alumni Relations and member of the Athletics Branding Committee, Mark Clapper, contacted me about creating a Blue Jay logo and accompanying family of visual identity marks and wordmarks. This project was intended to replace their existing mark that had been a part of their Department of Athletics since 1988. For a project of this importance, we worked closely together on several sketches and concepts … [Read more...]
Dr. Roach’s Guide to Photoshop CS4 For Beginners: Preferences
February 9, 2011 By 7 Comments
There are still a lot of people using Photoshop CS4 even though Photoshop CS5 has been out for some time. In the spirit of sharing, this series of downloadable lecture notes for CS4 is placed online for those who may need some help with the basics of the program. Much of the basics remain unchanged in CS5 and I believe that the original tutorial will prove useful for many of the steps of the revised Photoshop CS5, but there are minor differences sometimes. Originally, these notes were part of … [Read more...]
Enjoy Your HD Media on Your Iphone and Computer with Libox
August 30, 2010 By 3 Comments
Ran across a new app for both your computer and iPhone that will allow you to share and experience all high quality media for free! That means: no price tags and no limits on how much HD media users can share with friends and family. I love this, as many of my media sharing apps put limits on how much I can upload and how large my files can be. Freedom is great, especially when it's free! … [Read more...]
