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Photo Restoration Fun

July 15, 2012 in Freelancing, Photography, Photoshop

I recently finished a photo restoration job for a family friend that was challenging, but ultimately quite successful.

I was given two originals – a rare thing – and each one was pretty badly damaged. The “good” thing was that they were damaged in mostly different areas.

Ingerson Photo Restoration A    Ingerson Photo Restoration B

That meant that I could take areas from one to fix the other and come up with a complete photo. Then, it was just a matter of repairing the creases, scratches, and tape marks. However, since one of the originals was entirely cut off on the bottom, and the other had the corners cut, I had to do a little Photoshop Magic to finish it off. I was very lucky that there was enough detail left in her face between the two copies to make it work. Everything else can be retouched or even faked a little bit to create a convincing restoration. But if the face is too far gone, there’s not much hope.

All-in-all, I think it turned out quite nicely!

Ingerson Photo Restoration Final

As Promised: Photoshop CS6: Video QuickStart Sample

July 5, 2012 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Inspiration, Photography, Photoshop, Tutorials, Video

To learn more about how to use Photoshop check out my series Photoshop CS6: Video QuickStart at Peachpit.com!

This is an HD video, so it may take a few minutes to open. (If anyone has a better video player for WordPress, I’m all ears!)

Photoshop CS6: Masks

Photoshop CS6: Video QuickStart is Live!

June 21, 2012 in Graphic Design, News, Personal, Photography, Photoshop, Tutorials, Video

Photoshop CS6 Visual QuickStart GuideI am so excited to announce today that my new video series Photoshop CS6: Video QuickStart is now live on Peachpit.com! The series  is to accompany the new release of the Photoshop CS6: Visual QuickStart Guide book. Both are designed to help beginners get up to speed with Photoshop using CS6 and are great resources that take you through some Photoshop essentials and provide a good foundation for getting started with this powerful program.

The link above (which is an affiliate link, by the way, which means I will get a little something if you buy anything from Peachpit via the link) will take you to the book itself, but if you then go to Topics>Adobe Photoshop>Store (on the left, under the topic header) you can purchase the videos there and watch a sample chapter on Masks.

If you know anyone who wants to learn more about Photoshop and wants a great guidebook for all of its bells and whistles, please bring them to this page and have them use this link so they can get started learning today!

(Once I have it from Peachpit, I will share a sample video here as well.)

Big Things Are Happening

May 15, 2012 in Photoshop

While I can’t talk too much about it yet because the deal is still being worked out, but last week I got a very interesting direct message on Twitter that led to a few emails and eventually a really cool conference call about a project I should be starting next week.

What I can say is that I was contacted by a prominent book publisher who is going to be releasing a companion video series for a title slated for release sometime next month. They have asked me to record about a dozen 3-4min videos teaching beginners the essentials of Photoshop using CS6 – not necessarily teaching the latest features of CS6, just using that version as the platform and work environment as we explore what you need to do to get up and running with Photoshop.

Very Cool!

I’ve been producing Photoshop training videos on and off for a few years and have always gotten positive feedback from viewers – I even got an honorable mention from a NAPP training a couple of years back. I’ve been working on Season 2 of my graphic design podcast and have taught workshops and one-on-one sessions as well, so this sort of thing is right up my alley and I am so excited that they saw my work, liked my style, and thought of me for the project. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but what a foot in the door! I can’t wait to get started and see what I can do to really make my mark on the project and further establish myself.

Don’t worry, I am told that I’ll have a couple of segments to share as promotional materials for myself so you can see what I’ve come up with.

Photoshopping and the Media – A Conversation with a High School Freshman

May 11, 2012 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Interviews, Photography, Photoshop

Back in early April, I was approached by a high school freshman who was working on a paper about the role of Photoshop and photo manipulation in the media – both news and otherwise – and how that affects self-image in young people. I was, of course, glad to help out and below is how I responded to her questions about my views on the subject and how I make my own decisions with regards to Photoshop and image retouching. It’s kind of a stream of consciousness and could certainly be expanded upon, so please bear with my jumping around.

If you have any comments, please share them in the comments below!

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Episode 8 of Graphic Talk Radio is Now Live!

December 19, 2011 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Podcast, Photoshop, Web Design, Web Design Podcast

Graphic Talk Radio - A podcast about graphic design, web design, and freelancing.

This week on Graphic Talk Radio – my graphic and web design podcast – we look at what it takes to become an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop to help you stand above fellow designers and to build your confidence as a creative professional.

This is the last episode of the graphic design podcast for the season. We will return after the new year with new episodes and more tips, tricks and discussions about graphic design, web design, freelancing and the tools we use to do our work.

Subscribe to this Web Design Podcast in iTunes or stream it with Stitcher.com.

Graphic Talk Radio Episode #7 Is Now Up!

December 12, 2011 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Podcast, Photography, Photoshop, Web Design, Web Design Podcast

Graphic Talk Radio - A podcast about graphic design, web design, and freelancing.

This week on Graphic Talk Radio – my graphic and web design podcast – I talk about how outsourcing some of the services you are not an expert at will provide your clients with a better product and will give you more of an opportunity to focus on your passion.

Subscribe to this Web Design Podcast in iTunes or stream it with Stitcher.com.

Recreating a Moment with Tim Burton

December 9, 2011 in Freelancing, Photography, Photoshop

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a NYC man who wanted to see if I could fix the photo below because his camera wasn’t focusing properly and was giving him really blurry photos.

Blurry Photo of Tim Burton

There is just not enough information in the details of the people to sharpen it in any significant way and I certainly couldn’t make a sharp photo out of it. I emailed him back apologetically saying that there just wasn’t anything I could do. He thanked me for taking a look and I thought we were done.

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Day One As a Web Designer at Cornell University

November 29, 2011 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Personal, Photoshop, Web Design

Outreach/Web Assistant for the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise & Commercialization at Cornell UniversityToday is my first day as the Outreach/Web Assistant at the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise & Commercialization.

In the nearly 11 months since I was last employed in a full-time position, I must have applied or sent my resume to a couple hundred companies with little, if any, response. This economy has hit creative professionals pretty hard and the competition for jobs in the creative fields is fierce. In all that time, I only had 6 interviews with: a religious organization, a marketing firm, a cluster of radio stations, an ad agency, a forklift manufacturing company, and Cornell.

As I look back on the silent replies and drawn out pauses between interviews and rejections, I think about how it was one of the most prestigious universities in the world that said yes, and it makes me feel very humbled and honored to be the one chosen for the job. It tells me that I really do know what I’m doing and it verifies that I am capable of so much more than my previous job if somewhere like Cornell wants me.

I look at every job as an opportunity to learn and grow. My first job out of college was like a master class in video production and live event A/V and I took huge leaps forward in becoming a Photoshop Expert and graphic designer. At my last job I learned so much about SEO, marketing, and web design – invaluable skills both personally and professionally. And now for the next chapter. I know that, like every other job I’ve had, I will build on the solid foundations I’ve laid before and I will face the challenges before me head-on and I will be the better for it.

Here goes!

Graphic Talk Radio Episode #5 – SEO Linking

November 28, 2011 in Freelancing, Graphic Design, Graphic Design Podcast, Photoshop, Tutorials, Web Design, Web Design Podcast, Workflow

Graphic Talk Radio - A podcast about graphic design, web design, and freelancing.

Episode #5 of my Graphic Design Podcast is now live here on the site! You can also subscribe to this Web Design Podcast in iTunes or stream it with Stitcher.com.

This week we are continuing our series about search engine optimization (SEO) tips for bloggers with a quick look at how links and keywords play a vital role in your SEO strategy.

Give it a listen! And if you have any questions, comments, or just want to say “hi” leave a message below, get in touch on one of my various Social Media outlets, use the contact form, or send me an email to info@graphictalkradio.com.