Video Training Review: Adobe Photoshop: Power Session with Matt Kloskowski From NAPP

Adobe Photoshop CS4: Power Session with Matt Kloskowski is the new video training DVD for those who have experience with Photoshop and want to learn how to use the new features in Photoshop CS4. It is hosted by Matt Kloskowski, one of the education and curriculum developers for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, or NAPP. If you are not familiar with NAPP, please read my review on Photoshop User magazine to gain more insight on what NAPP is all about and why you should join.

Adobe Photoshop: Power Session is contained on a single DVD that runs 162 minutes and can be used on a computer-based system, an iPod, or an iPhone. It is aimed at new and relativity inexperienced Photoshop CS4 users as well as those who just want to learn about the new stuff in CS4. The author goes over the material in 26 lessons and 12 Quick Tips which provide short, specific guidance on particular items that have changed in CS4. The goal of this DVD is to allow you to quickly unlock the potential of Photoshop CS4 like a pro.

I guess when you are focusing in on all of the new features, outside of the interface and panels there really is no specific order in which to go in. So for the purpose of this review, I will break it down into the three menu sets that come on the DVD.

Menu 1 begins with an introduction by Matt Kloskowski where he briefly goes over the goals of this training session. He then explains some of the interface enhancements with special attention to those that made him move from CS3 to CS4 more rapidly than he normally does. Next he focuses his attention on the adjustment panel which is a major change from prior versions.

Other topics that are covered here are the use of the new Masks Panel, the Localized Color Clusters located in the Select Color Range dialog, improvements to Dodging and Burning with the protect tones feature, the use of the new Content Aware Scaling, and Smart Object enhancements.

Article Author: T. Michael Testi

T. Michael Testi is software developer, a writer, and a photographer. He also blogs at PhotographyTodayNet and at All This and Everything Else.

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