Moving on

As of today, May 17th 2010, I am moving my blog over to my web site, www.dcross.com. I've actually had this web site since 1997, but hadn't done much with it in the last 5 years. Now, thanks in large part to a very helpful class by RC Concepcion over at Kelby Training, I've learned enough about WordPress to be dangerous.



So if you've come here looking for the latest blog post from me, please head over to dcross.com. Please change your bookmarks etc accordingly.
Thanks.

Wescott Top Pros

PRESS RELEASE:
Westcott is proud to announce the addition of the following photographers into the elite group of Westcott Top Pros: Joey Wright, Ryan Gibson, Lindsay Adler, KC Gunn, Tri Huynh, George Simian, Michael Thompson, Erik Valind, Rafael Concepcion, Pete Wright and Dave Cross.

The Top Westcott Endorsed Pros was developed for photographic education and inspiration. This elite group is comprised of talented photographers from around the world, each a master of his or her own creative specialty, including fashion, sports, wedding, nature, photojournalism, advertising, portraiture, food and travel photography. Most Top Pros share their photographic and technical expertise with eager audiences of photo professionals, hobbyists and enthusiasts in a variety of workshops throughout the world.

- 30 -

I just heard about this and I am psyched! More to come next week

Live webinar for NAPP members

Tomorrow, Matt Kloskowski and I are hosting a NAPP member exclusive Webcast. It's Friday, May 14 at 3:00-4:00 est. We are presenting the Best of Photoshop User Tips and Techniques and taking questions via the live blog.





If you're not a NAPP member, you should join just so you can watch this live webcast! Okay, there are plenty of other reasons to join (help desk, Photoshop User magazine, forums, weekly tutorials, discount from Adobe...), but this is just icing on the cake ;)

Details here
[keep checking the link - it's being updated as we speak]

Design sites

Alltop has compiled a bunch of design-related blog and websites in these categories:

Graphic Design

Web Design

Typography

General Design

Interior Design

Architecture

[via Guy Kawasaki]

Happy 21st Birthday Son!

Yup, it's hard to believe but my little boy turns 21 today. Wow. Happy Birthday Mike. I Love you!

My new improved web site

Normally I wouldn't describe something as "new improved", but in this case it fits. My personal website had not changed in at least 5 years - it was basically a single page with links to NAPP, Kelby Training etc. Well, recently I decided to venture into the world of WordPress and update my site.

I gotta give major props to RC Concepcion - his Wordpress Basics for Photographers class at Kelby Training was exactly what I needed to understand where to start, how to work with themes etc. Every time I wasn't sure how to do something, a quick glance through the list of RC's lessons helped me find the answer. Then I found an inexpensive theme I liked from themeforest and I was off and running.

I still have a ways to go in adding content etc, but so far I'm pretty happy with the results.

Check it out!

Questions from Twitter

For my Ask Dave Photoshop podcast I encourage people to send questions via Twitter (and the KelbyTV site). Often I get questions that only require a one or two word answer, are somewhat unique, or that I simply don't know the answer to (kidding...kind of)

So here's a few that I've recently received that I thought I'd answer here rather than on the podcast.

Q: surfkat54: Just got CS5 for mac and can't figure out how to make PS reside in a window rather than full screen - such a preference?
A: The setting is Application Frame, found under the Window menu. Once it's chosen, it should become the default for every time you launch Photoshop. There is not a preference to set that as a default however.
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Q: ZParkar: Where is the Render > Lighting Effects on PS CS5?
A: Lighting Effects only work in Photoshop CS5 when you run it in 32 bit mode
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Q: ClaudeMyburgh: how do i make photoshop the default opening program in bridge CS4?
A: In Bridge Preferences, choose File Type Associations and then go through and set the file formats you want to open in Photoshop.
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Q: Freedy77: hi i want ask how i can make a metal looking Text in Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended ?
A: I would do it using layer styles: bevel and emboss. The key to getting a nice metallic look is experimenting with Gloss Contours.

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Q: mkmacd: How would I go about making an image into tritone(?) where an image just has three different shades of green.
A: Convert the image to a Grayscale and then go back to Image>Mode and choose Duotone. In that dialog you can choose Tritone and then click on each "swatch" to choose your color.
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Q: Derik Gutowski: Are you going to lead the Ybor photo walk this year? And if so, when will we be able to register for it?
A: Don't know the details of the Photo Walk yet, although I know they're working on finalizing things. Stay tuned here at the blog.

Going to Italy!!

It's official! In November I'll be going to Italy to speak at a Photoshop Conference there, Arrivano i Guru.

Details still to come, but I guess this does make it official:


Here's the website to bookmark for more details.

Free Webinar with Scott Kelby

Discover new dimensions in digital imaging with Photoshop CS5 Extended with Scott Kelby
Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 10-11:30

Join Photoshop User magazine Editor and Publisher Scott Kelby for a free online Webinar on how to maximize your time, and work more efficiently and effectively than ever before by using the brand new Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended. With powerful 64-bit performance enhancements, you’ll learn which new features will super-charge your workflow, so you can spend more time creating and less time on mundane production tasks.

Scott will show you the key new Photoshop CS5 features, along with lots of little tweaks, fixes, and enhancements that not only speed your work, but make your time in Photoshop faster and more fun. He’ll also cover everything from how to leverage the 64-bit power of Photoshop CS5 and how to configure for the best results. Plus, the experts from Dell, NVIDIA, and Adobe will be there to answer your hardware and Photoshop-specific questions.

Register here

Coming to Milwaukee

I'll be in Milwaukee on May 26th, teaching the Down & Dirty Photoshop Tour. It's a one-day seminar aimed mostly at designers**, made up of 5 classes:

Layers and Compositing Techniques
Designing With Type
Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks
Photoshop Killer Tips
Tricks of the Trade

Along the way I'll be throwing in some new Photoshop CS5 tidbits.

Hope you can join me - info and registration here.

**Although the day is full of design projects, the underlying techniques (layers, masking, typography, etc) are of course important for photographers too :)

Ask Dave Podcast

Well, it's been 14 weeks since I started the weekly Ask Dave Photoshop podcast and I think it's doing okay... Not really sure because although I keep getting new questions, I haven't received very much feedback.

So, if you've been watching the podcast and you have a few moments, would you please do me a favor and go to iTunes and leave a rating and/or comment?

Thanks, I appreciate it!

Design & Photography Contests

Disclaimer: I know nothing abut these contests other than what I read. Some are international, others are not. Some have entry fees, others don't. Basically you're on your own to explore these links. Good luck :)

Ten Images for Ithaca 2010: 9th International Poster Competition

The 9th annual poster competition Ten Images for Ithaca 2010 is now accepting entries.
The ten best entries will be printed into banners with dimensions 200 x 60 cm and will be hung along Ithaca's promenade for the entire summer of 2010.
Their creators will have free accommodation in Ithaca (Greece) on the weekend of the exhibition's opening (July 2010).
Deadline for entries is May 21, 2010.
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Photography Book Now 2010 is now open for entries.

Now in its third year, this international-juried competition, presented by Blurb, celebrates the very best in self-published photography books and the photographers behind them.
The competition features a grand prize of $25,000.
Entries will be accepted in three categories - Fine Art, Editorial, and Photography Portfolio.
The finalists' books in each category will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center for Photography, the Annenberg Space for Photography and the George Eastman House.
Deadline for submissions is July 15, 2010.
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2010 Adobe Design Achievement Awards: Call for Entries

Adobe has announced the call for entries for the tenth annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA).
This premier competition honors the best student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, developers and computer artists from accredited higher education institutions worldwide.

For the second consecutive year, Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is endorsing and supporting these prestigious student awards.
Adobe will host the awards ceremony during the Adobe MAX conference being held in Los Angeles in late October 2010.

All entries must be uploaded to the competition website no later than 5 p.m. (PDT) on June 4, 2010.
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3rd Caesarstone Design Award: Icon to Earth's Wellbeing

The human race is placing a huge strain on our planet and people from across the globe are trying to make a difference by changing the way we go about our daily lives.

Designers influence, entice and determine the direction of a concept before it is brought to life and CaesarStone is calling on young designers to create an icon that addresses the earth's sustainability and life in all its diversity.

The winning student and his or her lecturer will get a 5 day visit to Israel.

Deadline for submission is July 30, 2010.

Bits 'n pieces, different place

Today a new Bits and Pieces post appears as a guest post over at Scott Kelby's blog