About the Course

Whether you are a seasoned film photographer transitioning to digital or a new digital photography enthusiast looking to maximize the impact of your images, Photoshop CS3 Workflow for Photographers is an excellent starting point for learning the powerful tools and techniques available for expressing your unique vision through photography. This five-day workshop is an introduction to the tools and features of Adobe Photoshop CS3, the world’s most popular imaging software as they pertain to the workflow for digital photographers. Participants will be taught the basic skills and techniques required to harness the awesome power of Photoshop CS3 when creating and enhancing their photographs. This is not a class in basic computer skills and participants are expected to have a good level of proficiency using the Windows operating system, including a familiarly with downloading, finding and opening files using the Windows explorer.

The first day of the course will begin with a casual breakfast meeting near the Lepp Institute. After breakfast you will be given a facilities orientation and an overview of the course. Participants will then jump in with both feet to the digital workflow with a lecture on mastering the in camera histogram using different exposure controls available on today’s DSLR cameras. Following lunch there will be an afternoon photographic excursion to one of the many beautiful locations near the Lepp Institute to apply your new knowledge of mastering the in camera histogram. The instructor will be available during the field trip for questions. Upon returning to the institute in the late afternoon, there will be a lecture on proper downloading etiquette and the concept of digital asset management using Photoshop CS3.

Day two will cover the Photoshop CS3 Bridge workflow that includes organizing, sorting, editing, and finding your images. Participants will then be introduced to the new Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) converter and its revolutionary capabilities to process JPEG, TIFF and RAW images. Here participants will learn the best workflow for nondestructive image editing and optimization in the digital darkroom.

Day three will begin with a photographic field trip. Upon returning to the Lepp Institute after lunch participants will be introduced to the core of Photoshop CS3 including the toolbar, the tool option bar and other palette windows.

Day four will cover the meat and potatoes of Photoshop CS3, including image retouching, layers and selections. In the afternoon participants will be introduced to correct image resizing protocol and the print workflow. Participants will be able to produce prints of their optimized images with the latest archival photo inkjet printers.

Day five will begin with the fundamentals of layer masks as well as working with type. After lunch participants will be able to continue printing their images on the latest archival photo inkjet pigment printers. The afternoon session is reserved for printing and question and answer time. Participants will finish the course with a solid grounding in efficient digital workflow and several prints of their own images suitable for framing.

What You’ll Learn

The Photoshop Fundamentals course will cover:

• An explanation of the Histogram and how to gain control over it in your camera.
• JPEG vs. RAW for image capture
• Fine tuning Color Settings and Preferences to maximize performance.
• The need for Monitor Calibration and suggested calibration utilities.
• An introduction to Digital Asset Management (DAM)
• Using the Adobe Bridge to find and open your images.
• Working in the new ACR.
• Setting up and saving a customized workspace.
• Keyboard shortcuts.
• Menu bar and Tool Option bar contents.
• Toolbar tutorial explaining every tool’s function as it relates to the digital workflow.
• An introduction to layers, adjustment layers and layer masks to enhance images.
• Basic selection techniques.
• Proper image resizing etiquette.
• Image sharpening techniques.
• Adding type to an image.
• Printing procedure and workflow.
• Automated functions of Photoshop.
• Black & White conversions.
• Highlight recovery using camera RAW.
• Saving files as .JPEG, .PSD or .TIFF.

Who should attend?

This class is the first step towards learning and mastering Adobe Photoshop CS3 as a digital photographer and is designed for people with limited or no knowledge of the program.

What Should I Bring With Me?

We recommend that you come prepared with the following items for this course:

• Jonathan will be teaching this course with the aid of “Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book” by Tim Grey.  It is highly recommended that you purchase this book and bring it with you.  He will be referring to the book extensively and feels it would be beneficial for you to come with your own copy. It is not absolutely necessary that you do, however it would be greatly beneficial for you in both the short and long run.
• Yourself, ready to learn and work in a digital darkroom!
• Your digital SLR camera, lenses and a tripod. The Lepp Institute is located on California’s beautiful central coast and there are two planned photographic excursions as well as time before and after class to create images.
• A good pair of sturdy walking shoes of hiking boots. The photographic excursions will involve hiking on dirt trails and uneven ground.
• About ten to twenty of you’re own images (Digital files required - make sure CD's, flash drives or portable hard drives can be read by Windows machines) to work with during the course.
• If you need them, a good pair of both reading & regular glasses. There will be a lot of time spent looking at a computer screen – you will want to be able to read the type! The classroom is also set up with two front projection screens, so you will need to be able to focus clearly at a distance as well.

Schedule-At-A-Glance

Here is an outline of the topics to be covered so you'll have an idea of what to expect:

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