You can create a great grunge effect non-destructively inside Photoshop by creating duplicating your layers and then merging them into a smart object. The smart object retains all the layers in a separate document and allows you to enhance your photos without touching the original piece!

How many times have you taken a photo with your digital camera only to have the flash not fire – either due to backlighting or a wrong setting? Well don’t think that your image is a total loss just yet. Try using the Shadows/Highlights adjustment in Photoshop (Image>Adjustments>Shadows/Highlights). Drag the Shadows slider to the right and watch how it adjusts the lower lighted areas.

This adjustment can pick up even the most minute differences in tonal values. One of the examples I show in my Photoshop class is a hidden easter egg inside of Photoshop CS3 (sorry not going to ruin the surprise) which comes from a 1% cyan value hidden inside of the feature.

So good luck and good Photoshopping.

Everyone knows that desserts is “stressed” spelled backwards.  Coincidence? I think not.  It’s also no secret that as responsibilities increase, so does the pressure. We all have to find ways to manage and reduce the stress and pressure in our lives.  The holiday seasons add even more pressure professionally, personally and socially–to get work done before year-end. To have a “Hallmark” not a “Simpson” Christmas, to decorate perfectly, to be a great host or guest, and of course to buy “the right stuff.”  Let us know what you do to help you de-stress.  We’d love to learn new tips and tricks ourselves.  And, although desserts may not be the most helpful way to manage your stress, make sure you get your “just desserts” this time of year!

Let C2 help meet those year end deadlines, or give your staff some extra muscle or brainpower to produce great results.  Remember, it’s free! There’s no expense incurred for interviewing talent sourced by C2—until you’re ready to hire! C2 can advertise (blind or not) screen, interview,  assess skills, and reference check candidates for you, all before their resume even crosses your desk.  Contact Luci or Erica, your Talent Scouts at C2 for more information.

Please join me at SOHO’s “The Push & The Pull,” A Social Media Strategy Event. Develop your own Social Media Strategic Plan using “The Draft,” SOHO’s 10-page strategy workbook. Combining the knowledge gleaned in the sessions with this workbook will provide guidance in developing the social media mindset, selecting the correct tools for your campaign and allow you to tailor your social media strategy to meet the needs of your unique business.

Pair “The Draft” with SOHO’s lineup, and you are sure to walk away with more than just notes!

How about BOTH? Advertising, marketing and design pros know how to party, two industry events this month make that relationship clear!

Please attend The Eisner’s Mistology on October 7 and
AIGA’s Will Work For Beer October 15

MISTOLOGY: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE COCKTAIL – Win free tickets, see our Featured Partner ad or our Facebook Fan page.

Begins at 6 p.m. with an interactive presentation from Canadian Mist’s Chief Entertaining Officer (CEO) Tim Laird and Spirits Scientist Steve Hughes.

October 15, join AIGA Wisconsin for an evening with Randy Mosher, designer, author, and world renowned brewing and beer expert, 6:30 pm at Lakefront Brewery.

This past week I attended Photoshop World 2009 in Las Vegas. Here are some of the highlights from the event:

The keynote kicked off with Scott Kelby, Matt Koslowski, and Dave Cross giving a recap of the year followed by Scott’s ever entertaining introduction to John Loiacono, Adobe’s Sr. VP and General Mgr. of the Creative Solutions Unit. Needless to say, the antics between Scott and “Johnny L.” as he is referred to in the community was hilarious.

The best part of the presentation was Russell Brown aka “Dr. Brown” from Adobe Labs showcasing some features to be released in a “future” version of Photoshop. This included kinematics, or puppetry – allowing users to set armature points on an image to warp manually. Very cool, very slick.

As for the sessions, I attended Russell’s presentation on CS4 3D and tips and tricks, Fay Sirkis and her digital painting techniques, and Scott Kelby’s portrait retouching techniques advanced session.

I also had the privilege of sitting in on Deke McClelland and Collen Wheeler’s “Martini Hour” podcast live at Mandalay Bay. I was interviewed during the intermission so here’s hoping I end up in the final cut! (I will be sure to post it if I do, trust me.)

I will also be giving a short presentation at the upcoming InDesign User Group/Adobe User Group meeting on October 26 at WCTC. Check out the User Groups section for RSVP links and information. Check back for follow up posts with the Photoshop World Keynote video and some spoofs from NAPP.

Incredible space, thought-provoking exhibits, fabulous parties. That’s The Eisner, American Museum of Advertising and Design. In addition to sharing the stories behind some of America’s greatest designers, advertisers and campaigns, the Eisner offers educational opportunities for students at any age!

Education is the vehicle to creating an improved you. Sharpening your skills and taking time to experience new ideas or industries can make you a more desirable hire. The Eisner is working to help make everyone a more desirable to employers through our Education Programming for the Community.  Three educational programs that The Eisner currently offers are: Ms. Coffmansen’s Portfolio Finishing School, Only @ The Eisner College Lecture Series and the Wisconsin Student Portfolio Review.

A fantastic way to gain stronger skills in a timely manner is with Ms. Coffmansen’s Portfolio Finishing School starting October 12th.  This is an intense comprehensive six-week advertising class taught by full time senior professionals. Students are placed into writer/art director groups that are then assigned professional mentors to provide constructive criticism and to review each process of their work. In addition, this course offers professional lectures, networking, and portfolio reviews.  At the end of the six-weeks each student presents their final project, which is critiqued by top creative directors. This Advertising Class is an opportunity for students to fully experience what deadlines are, the pressure to produce well-designed, well-written work and to work in a team setting.

The Only @ The Eisner college lecture series is one way that students and post grads can learn more about the fields of Advertising & Design and how to be better prepared for the real world. Our next lecture is November 12^th titled “Professional Practice with AIGA”.  AIGA Chicago President Steven Ryan and Milwaukee AIGA President Amy Decker will share tips about the business and the latest in professional practices. This lecture is a perfect way to learn about conducting yourself in the industry. Spring Semester will offer two more Only @ The Eisner lectures “Interactive, Web and Motion Graphics” and “Your Workshop” completing the series for the school year.

The Wisconsin Student Portfolio Review is a very important part of the programming here at The Eisner and this was stated by one of the professional reviewers  “I feel that this is one of the premiere portfolio reviews and should be a requirement for colleges in the greater Milwaukee, and Madison, area to send potential graduates to this review.” Wisconsin Student Portfolio Review takes place annually and is hosted by The Eisner and the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. This is a must attend event. College juniors, seniors and recent grads participate in a weekend of learning. One on one portfolio reviews with four senior level professionals, studio tours, a panel discussion, networking and lectures are experienced by the students. Students leave with constructive input from professionals, new contacts and a possible internship or job.

Taking control of your own destiny is key to being successful. Join us at The Eisner and make that happen for you!

Get Your Just Desserts!

Everyone knows that desserts is “stressed” spelled backwards.  Coincidence? I think not.  It’s also no secret that as responsibilities increase, so does the stress. We all need to find ways to manage and reduce the stress and pressure in our lives.  The holiday seasons add even more pressure professionally, personally and socially–to get work done before year-end. To have a “Hallmark” not a “Simpson” Christmas, to decorate perfectly, to be a great host or guest, and too often, to buy “the right stuff.”  Let us know what you do to help you de-stress.  We’d love to learn new tips and tricks ourselves.  And, although Christmas cookies and desserts may not be the most helpful way to manage your stress this time of year, make sure you get your “just desserts” and find time to chill!

Let C2 help you chill and meet your year end deadlines, or give your staff some extra time and space to enjoy the Holidays this year with extra talent.  Remember, it’s free! There’s no expense incurred for interviewing talent sourced by C2—until you’re ready to hire. C2 can advertise (blind if you prefer) screen, interview,  assess skills, and reference check candidates for you, all at no cost, before a qualified resume crosses your desk.  Take a look at a few examples of our “fresh talent,” or contact Luci or Erica, your Talent Scouts at C2 for more info.

Milwaukee Talent

Senior Designer with Visual Virtuosity

Keith U is a professional senior-level graphic designer with superb ideation skills. He tested at the professional level+ in Illustrator and Photoshop and Professional in InDesign.  He has an exceptional eye for clean, modern design and balances his B2B work with edgy contemporary design for CD designs. Keith has designed print ads, sales collateral, CD covers, newsletters, annual reports and more. He is highly creative and works well on a team.  He has a dry wit and keen sense of humor.  Keith is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire, or direct hire.

Practical Professional in Print, Web & Multi-media

Jon P is an award winning graphic and web designer with experience in print, web design and multi-media creation.  He tested at the C2 professional level Photoshop and Flash and web development, and at professional+ in Illustrator. Jon has a strong understanding of the creative and technical aspects of web site development. Jon is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire or direct hire.

Word Up! This Designer is Righteous Good

Paul R tested at the professional+ level in Illustrator, Photoshop and Flash and at professional in InDesign.  He is a talented designer with strong production skills, and a great portfolio including packaging,  logos and branding, ad campaigns and several web site designs.  Paul performs with speed, accuracy and a delightful attitude.   He is available full or part time, for projects, temp to hire or on a direct hire basis. His portfolio may be viewed at http://prauwerda.com

Madison Talent

Awesome  Senior Level Designer with Acerbic Wit!

Aaron P. is a brilliant senior-level designer/art director who can do it all!! He has a book demonstrating his savvy, witty eye for good design along with strong technical skills.  He tested at the professional level in Photoshop, professional+ in Illustrator and exceptional in InDesign.  Aaron excels at concepting and ideation, web design, typesetting, directing a  team of free lancers and photo shoots, establishing brand standards, and more. He is an experienced Fireworks user and is currently learning Flash and Dreamweaver.  Aaron is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire, or direct hire.

Live From Hollywood, Video and Commercial Producer Extraordinaire!

J

As a member of the Design/Advertising community I am a huge fan of AMC’s Mad Men. If you are a fan of the series you might be interested in the following links related to Mad Men.

Sesame Street Spoofs Man Men.

Typography used in Mad Men

Real Life Salaries on Mad Men

Access to the internet via mobile devices saw a 34% increase in use by women, teens and seniors, according to mobilecrunch.com  Beyond the fact that my mom is accessing Facebook via her iPhone, (which is disturbing on a number of levels), this means is that designers and developers who are mobile savvy will be in higher demand.  An article in the NYT tells the story more clearly: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/technology/05apps.html?ref=technology

HOW can YOU learn how to design or develop for mobile devices?

Get involved in iMade, a local group putting together a Mobile Application Development Event.

Check out http://www.theresgonnabesnacks.com/ This is the mobile app and companion site that local designers and developers will work on together.  The premise is simple, this site will be an aggregated calendar of local design and development meetings/meetups/events.  I love the clever name, as most good meetings always feature tasty snacks, be they tantalizing for the brain or the taste buds, or in the best cases, both!

For now, important dates, instructions and connections are all housed on:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123756069855

Assignments and task delegation is housed on: http://groups.google.com/group/mwiphonesdk

Tentative Schedule:

Sept: Meet and Greet
Oct: iMADE (iPhone Mobile Application Development Event)
Nov: First User Group (presentation 1 hour, hands-on lab 30 minutes)
Dec: Purely social at Riverfront Pizzera
Jan: First User Group (presentation 1 hour, hands-on lab 30 minutes)
Feb: Purely social at Riverfront Pizzera

Group leader, Brennan Stehling wrote: “This is a new group so I do not expect we will have a huge attendance if we meet every month, so I want to alternate between presentation/lab and a purely social events to welcome clients, recruiters, organizations like WCTC and C2 to come and meet the designers and developers who attend so everyone can network and make connections for new contract jobs and continue growing this community.”

Community organizers (in addition to Brennan Stehling, our fearless leader):

Jay Smith – Apple Store, Bayshore, Business Development
Erica Conway – C2, Adobe training, iMADE sponsor
Jason Dobbs – Centare, iMADE sponsor
Ed Chaltry – Centare, Owner, iMADE sponsor
Steve Glynn – Spreenkler, iMADE sponsor
Joesph Weitzer – WCTC, Director, Corporate & Community Training
Jeff Grissom – iPhone instructor
Pete Prodoehl – Web414, community resource

BarCampMKE4, an unconference, provides an opportunity for the smartest, brightest and coolest to co-mingle, collaborate and celebrate the latest tech innovations for web/mobile/application design and development. It’s FREE and Green.

But don’t take my word for it, visit http://barcampmilwaukee.org/

The site has a video from BarCampMKE2, it offers a flavor of this weekend’s activities, but each camp is shaped by it’s participants.  How will you help shape BarCampMKE4?

The organizers are reaching out to designers, they want a good mix of talent to share and learn together. Please consider attending.

Ok, so what started as a silly twitter comment evolved quickly into an idea that might have some merit, but the constraint of 140 characters got the best of me and I had to jump on here, as I don’t have everyone’s email that has jumped on the bandwagon.

Initially @mindspikedesign made some comment about dominating in office Wii.  I threw down the gauntlet on behalf of @finndigital, as I know their office reception area is dedicated to Wii. Then I volunteered @C2gps to host a jello-shot cook off, there’s talk of snow volleyball, managerial-sled racing, caffeine consumption contests, etc.

I think if we keep this casual and a couple agencies offer to host different events this winter we could just have a series of hosted networking events that we call #agencywinterolympics.  We could use Twitter to invite, trash talk and declare winners.  I will volunteer C2 to host the jello-shot cook off, guidelines and date to follow.  Anyone down for some of this action?!