lesa's blog

Sometimes a perfectly good portrait is marred by small yet annoying stuff like a zit, makeup smudge, or a stray hairs. Or maybe you captured an object in the frame you wish you hadn’t, or you scanned the image and introduced dust specks, or perhaps your camera’s sensor is a little dirty. Happily, the Retouch tool in Photos for OS X can come to your rescue. As you’re about to learn, Photos’ Retouch tool is more powerful than the one in iPhoto…click here to read the full story on Macworld.com

With all the effort and expense it takes to attend a concert, a smart person makes the most of it—starting far before the concert happens and extending well after the final encore. In this column, you’ll learn how to use your Mac to milk every last drop of enjoyment from your concert experiences...click here to read the full story on Macworld.com

To celebrate the release of my newest Craftsy.com video today, you’ll save 50% through July 27! In “Moving Between Lightroom & Photoshop: Edit Fast, Edit Smart”, you’ll learn time-saving techniques for making Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom work together perfectly and give your images the professional polish they deserve. Find out which program to use for each of your image-editing tasks. Then, learn the setup requirements for passing high-quality files between the programs and make file-naming a breeze. Learn how edit in Lightroom and how to send files back to Photoshop for special effects—with tips on these programs’ Superpowers. Next, learn how to exchange files as smart objects and scale or add filters without damaging your original file. Finally, learn how to use both programs to retouch your images and find out how to use Lightroom to showcase your work. Plus, discover how to turn a slideshow into a movie with just a few simple tricks! Click here for all the details and a short introductory video.

To celebrate the release of my second video for Craftsy.com, you’ll save 50% through July 27! In “Perfecting Photoshop Portraits”, you’ll learn how to remove stray hairs and fill in eyebrows for a flattering effect. Then, find out how to cover distracting accessories so that your subject is always the focal point, and take years off your subject's face by reducing wrinkles, brightening eyes and more. Next, get tips on making even your most self-conscious subject feel amazing with techniques for slimming, blending and adding makeup. Finally, experiment with color using three unique techniques, and let your artistic side loose by exploring colorizing, tinting and more for stunning results. Click here for all the details and a short introductory video.

One of the most rewarding projects you can tackle in layer-based apps such as Photoshop and Photoshop Elements is combining images. In this column, you’ll learn how to employ blend modes to turn an ordinary portrait-style snapshot into a a special textured collage...click here to read the full tutorial on Macworld.com

XChange features 17 more of my tips for Adobe Illustrator, along with helpful illustrations for them. These are just some of the real-world tips from my Creative Cloud Essentials video training, which covers important uses for each Creative Cloud app and how they work together. XChange US and XChange UK are our go-to sources for information and products that improve efficiency.

Save 30% at creativeLIVE, including all 34 of my courses, including my Creative Cloud Essentials course, where you learn the superpowers of each Adobe app and how they work together; Make Money With Microstock; Graphic Design For Everyone; and Lightroom Essentials, where you learn everything about Lightroom!

The third installment of my tips at XChange features 16 tips for Adobe Illustrator, along with helpful illustrations for them. These are just some of the real-world tips from my Creative Cloud Essentials video training, which covers important uses for each Creative Cloud app and how they work together. XChange US and XChange UK are our go-to sources for information and products that improve efficiency. Whether you work with color, design, multimedia, or print and publishing, they're happy to help you find the ideal product or solution for your particular need. Visit their website and read the tips here.

Adobe upset the software apple cart by bundling their apps into Creative Cloud and switching from perpetual licensing to a subscription-based model. The controversy rages on, and Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription model continues to wreak havoc on third-party (non-Adobe) plug-ins that interact with Creative Cloud apps, such as your font manager. When Adobe upgrades your software, you may need to pay a few bucks to support the rest of your Creative Cloud ecosystem—including sending a few dollars to your friendly neighborhood plug-in developer. Click here to read the full story on Macworld.com

Our good friends at XChange posted my six favorite tips for Acrobat, along with helpful illustrations for them. These are just some of the real-world tips from my Creative Cloud Essentials video training, which covers important uses for each Creative Cloud app and how they work together. For the past 23 years XChange US and XChange UK have been our go-to sources for information and products that improve efficiency. Whether you work with color, design, multimedia, or print and publishing, they're happy to help you find the ideal product or solution for your particular need. Visit their website and read the tips here.