A Revolutionary Way to Learn Photoshop CC …

  Updated 04/01/22 ____________     Now you’re able to sit in front of your computer and spend time learning any aspect of Photoshop “one-on-one” from John Watts – live and interactive, from the comfort of your home or office – using GoToMeetings’ simple interface and the power of the Internet.   More here: https://wattsdigital.com/1-on-1-web-instruction        •  We’ll be working on YOUR images, and at YOUR pace – plus, you can be assured of privacy, since we’re NOT sharing webcams – only our voices & monitors!         •  Subject ideas: Build a “Master File” from A to Z, Layer Mask Basics,  Proper Cropping techniques, Dodging

Read More A Revolutionary Way to Learn Photoshop CC …

Free Live and Interactive Webinars…

  01/04/21 – Updated – – see this link: https://www.wattsdigital.com/San_Diego_Meetups.html _______________   Hello there! By popular request, I am now offering Free Live and Interactive Webinars on subjects related to Photoshop, Digital Printing, and Color Management. These webinars will allow you to watch the desktop of my computer “real-time”  and listen to me as I explain what I am doing.  At the same time, if you have any questions, you can type your question, and I will answer it!  I will be doing a minimum of 2 webinars per week. These webinars are “browser-based” on your computer, and are limited

Read More Free Live and Interactive Webinars…

We had a Blast “Talkin’ Photoshop” at the Fair…

WOW!! What a blast! Last Saturday, I gave two free seminars at the San Diego County Fair Exhibition of Photography. One was on Color Management in Photoshop and the other was on Photofinishing with Photoshop. Both were well-attended and productive, and we had a lot of fun. Not only did I meet someone that I made a print for about 15 years ago (she still loves it!), but I met someone whose work I admire, Tamandra Michaels, on the midway at the fair (I recognized her by her picture on her website). If you missed these seminars, here’s a schedule

Read More We had a Blast “Talkin’ Photoshop” at the Fair…

Judging Photo Contests can be interesting…

  Updated 09/01/21, and still relevant today …     06/03/2008 – A few weeks ago, I was again privileged to be a Judge at the San Diego County Fair Exhibition of Photography, always one of my favorite contests to judge (and one of the largest!). It is always lots of fun, and I get to spend time with other pros in the industry whom I haven’t seen all year.   This year I judged in 2 categories: Nature (Plants) and Underwater Photography. My fellow judges in that category were two individuals; one that I’ve known for over 25 years,

Read More Judging Photo Contests can be interesting…

The Photoshop E-Book is Available for Download…

  03/10/22 – This post has been updated:    https://wattsdigital.com/photoshop-book-e-book   My Photoshop E-Book, “Photofinishing with Photoshop”, is now available for purchase and immediate download. It is reasonably priced at $30. Click Here to Purchase and Download the E-Book… Have you ever wanted to learn how to make stunning photographic prints at your home or office? Have you tried, but not been happy with the results? Then this unique E-Book is for you. This is not just another Photoshop E-Book: It is unique because I focus on what makes a good color print, and I will show you how to

Read More The Photoshop E-Book is Available for Download…

Free Photoshop And Color Management Seminars at the 2009 Fair

Howdy, Last Sunday, I was privileged to be a Judge at the San Diego County Fair Exhibition of Photography. I’ll share my experiences and insights about the judging in a few days. I know some of you have been asking, so here is a ‘heads-up”: I will be giving free Photoshop and CoIor Management seminars at the Fair starting in a few weeks. In addition, I will be participating in a ‘Judge’s Roundtable”, an “Artist’s Reception” and a “Digital Dialogue with the Experts”. If you are in Southern California, I’d love to get a chance to meet you – besides,

Read More Free Photoshop And Color Management Seminars at the 2009 Fair

Some of my Favorite Digital Imaging Websites ….

Greetings, The title is self-explanatory, and they are in no particular order of importance, etc….. Apogee Photo.com – A good source for all things photographic, both traditional and digital. Tim Grey’s DDQ – The digital Darkroom Questions (DDQ) is a regular email providing answers to questions related to the digital darkroom. Chromix – One of the best sources for Color Management Hardware and Software. Solux – A great source for proper lighting for print-viewing. Fetch – FTP software for Mac – 15 day free trial, then $25. FTP Shell Client – FTP software for Windows – Personal version is free.

Read More Some of my Favorite Digital Imaging Websites ….

Outsourcing your Photoshop Images to a Print Lab

  Updated 08/30/21, & still relevant today …     05/09/08 – So you need a print bigger than your inkjet printer can handle, or you need a print on a specialty surface like FujiFlex Super Gloss – that means you’re going to have to outsource your printing. How do you know what Print Lab to use? Recently one of my clients, Duane Chevalier (www.duanesphotogaphy.net), was having problems with the prints he was receiving from 2 different Photo Labs. They were way too dark and not even close to what the images looked like on his monitor.   To say

Read More Outsourcing your Photoshop Images to a Print Lab

Here Comes the Judge – Photo Judge, That Is…

This summer, I am again honored and privileged to be a Judge and Speaker at one of the most prestigious photographic contests on the West Coast – the San Diego County Fair International Exhibition of Photography. I will probably be judging one of the “Nature” categories or the “Scenic-Landscape” category. I will also be giving two free seminars every Saturday that the Fair is open – One on Photoshop in general, and one on Color Management. I’ll let you know when I have a definite schedule on those – I’d love to see you there. If you like the challenge

Read More Here Comes the Judge – Photo Judge, That Is…

K.I.S.S your Images While Using Photoshop

What is one of the best things about Photoshop? The amount of functions available to you, the user. What is one of the worst things about Photoshop? The amount of functions available to you, the user! If you are new or fairly new to Photoshop, one of the challenges of using the program is its overall complexity. Most of the time, you will only need to use 10% to 15% of Photoshop’s functionality to achieve the results you want. I’d suggest employing the K.I.S.S. method. K.I.S.S stands for “Keep It Super Simple”. Start with the basics of Photoshop, and grow

Read More K.I.S.S your Images While Using Photoshop

You Can Chat LIVE with Me about Photoshop and Digital Imaging…

UPDATE 05-11-08: Sorry, this widget really slowed down my blog – – I’ll look for an alternative – – If you know of something to replace this, please let me know… I’ve got a new “toy” on my blog – – Live Chat via AIM’s WIMZI Widget (See the sidebar). It is not unusual for me to spend 4 to 6 hours a day in front of my computer, so I thought I’d experiment to see if this gadget is useful for all of us. You don’t need an AIM account to use it – If it says that I’m

Read More You Can Chat LIVE with Me about Photoshop and Digital Imaging…

Three ways to “FTP” your Photoshop and Digital Files…

Do you need to send a Photoshop file or another type of digital file to someone electronically, and it is bigger than your email provider can handle? Then you need to “FTP” it! FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. Generally, when your file is larger than 10 MB, you will need to FTP it rather than email it. For those times when you need to send larger files over the internet, such as to a potential client (with a proper watermark, of course!) or a photo lab, you generally have 3 FTP choices: Use the client or lab’s user-friendly FTP

Read More Three ways to “FTP” your Photoshop and Digital Files…

Film vs. Digital: Which is Better? Part II

Updated 08/30/21 In the first post on this subject, I discussed qualitative issues between Film and Digital. The gist of that post was that there is no perfect answer to the question of “which is better” – – Film and Digital are essentially two different “animals”. Although Digital is certainly more prevalent, both have their place in Photography, or as Paul Lester commented on the first post: “In the end, it’s picking the right tool for the job.” Quality issues aside, let’s talk about other advantages and disadvantages of each, mainly as it relates to the gear and media… FILM

Read More Film vs. Digital: Which is Better? Part II

Film vs. Digital: Which is Better?

Updated 08/30/21 The answer may surprise you, because – There really isn’t a perfect answer – – Film and Digital are essentially two different “animals”, and both have their place…. __________ My buddy Ken Rockwell, a fellow San Diegan, explains it rather succinctly in this post: “I use both digital and film cameras all the time. They each serve a different purpose. Film and digital capture are completely different media. They are used for similar purposes, but they themselves are completely unrelated to each other. I’d have an easier time and get in less trouble comparing my mom to a

Read More Film vs. Digital: Which is Better?

Pssst – – Wanna Buy a Legal and Full Copy of Photoshop CS3 – Cheap?

Now that I’ve got your attention… 🙂 If you’re reading this, you may fall into one of two categories: 1) You are using someone else’s illegal “copy” of PS, and cannot legally upgrade, or 2) You are brand new to the program, ready to “take the plunge”, and start learning how it works. Either way, the $650+ price tag is holding you back. You can get a full and legal copy of CS3 for 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost, and here’s how: Buy an unregistered full copy of Photoshop 7 or later, register it, then buy the CS3 upgrade…

Read More Pssst – – Wanna Buy a Legal and Full Copy of Photoshop CS3 – Cheap?

The Deadly “I’ll-Just-Fix-It-In-Photoshop” Syndrome…

Howdy to all… Here’s a great read from Kevin Michael Reed’s ExposingFashion Blog entitled “Stop this ‘Fix It In Photoshop’ nonsense!” I get a sense of righteous anger from Kevin that is well-placed….I blogged briefly about this last year on this post, but Kevin, as a working photographer who has to deal in the sometimes surrealistic and admittedly vain world of fashion photography, puts it even more succinctly. It is definitely a more in-depth analysis on why this trend of “I’ll-Just-Fix-It-In-Photoshop” has to stop!!! (Oh, and Kevin must be a great guy – after all, he quoted me in his

Read More The Deadly “I’ll-Just-Fix-It-In-Photoshop” Syndrome…

Thoughts From A Photo Contest

  09/01/2021 – Updated, and still relevant today …   _____________     02/12/-2008 – Last summer, I was privileged to be a Judge and Speaker at one of the most prestigious photographic contests on the West Coast – the San Diego County Fair International Exhibition of Photography. While the fair was running, we held a “Digital Dialog Discussion” for the public – there were seven experts from the digital realm, including myself, talking about the present and future of digital imaging.   A client of mine recently reminded me of how much he was able to glean from that

Read More Thoughts From A Photo Contest

The Most-Abused Tools in Photoshop…

  Updated 09/01/21, and still relevant today …   _________________   As I go to various art shows, galleries, contests and photo club exhibits, and as I judge various photo contests, I notice two common Photoshop errors repeatedly. If someone looks at your traditional print and says, “Oh, that’s digital!”, it is usually not a compliment. It usually denotes manipulation and phoniness. There is probably nothing wrong with the original image.   More than likely it is just over-saturated and over-sharpened in Photoshop.   Let me clarify what I’m going to say by adding that I’m not talking about “Photoshop

Read More The Most-Abused Tools in Photoshop…

Test Targets for Digital Printing Evaluation

Howdy to all! Here are links to pages where you can download test targets – I’m very partial to the Photodisc Target myself… These are great for evaluating your printer’s output and how it compares to your monitor, among other things – Enjoy! Inkjetart.com Dry Creek Photo Colormanagement.com So, do you know of others you like? Let me know! Cheers, John 🙂

Thoughts on Selling Your Prints Online …

  Updated 08/30/21, & still relevant today!     02/02/2008 – Here is an excellent post at Paul Lester’s Blog entitled “Business Decisions: Selling Prints Online” …. I’ll let you read it, but basically he’s comparing different websites that allow you to sell your photos online. It’s well-researched – Paul has done his homework!   I want to add some thoughts that popped into my mind while reading his post – I left the following as a comment on his site – read on….   _________________________________________   Paul,   Great post, as usual!   I’ve never had experience with the

Read More Thoughts on Selling Your Prints Online …