It’s 2014 and of course that means that we’re in for new feature updates for our Adobe Creative Cloud applications and services. I’m pleased to give you for first look at the first wave of new features for Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe InDesign CC. There are over 20 new features among the three apps and now there are more than 900 Typekit Desktop Fonts for your design use. Rather than simply tell you about these features I figured it was easier to show you:
What’s New In Adobe Photoshop CC – January 2014 Update
What’s New In Adobe Illustrator CC – January 2014 Update
What’s New In Adobe InDesign CC – January 2014 Update
Also in case you missed it, here’s What’s New in Adobe Muse CC – November 2013 Update
In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV, I’ll show you how to get started with Adobe Muse CC and the 10 things that beginners want to know how to do. Although I have done this subject in the past I felt that enough has been added to Muse since then to do this video again.
Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?
See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:
I know that many of you are Photoshop users and chances are you were part of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). I also know that many of you love online training and chances are you part of Kelby Online Training. If you were part of either of these two programs it just got a lot better for you as they just merged into one, actually KelbyOne. I’m thrilled about this change because it could be confusing at times as to which one to become a part of, especially if you were a graphic designer. It also means that they will focus on more than just Photoshop and photography. As a matter of fact I recorded three NEW classes for KelbyOne that should be released soon!
Scott Kelby, a good friend of mine has posted this video to tell you more about it:
As we bring the curtain down on 2013 and as I look back on this year, one of the highlights for me was simply getting better at my photography hobby. One of the things that makes me really proud is to see my work in print with major lighting manufacturers. After all these are the folks actually selling gear to photographers and they are probably going to be pickiest about how their products are represented. I’ve had a good relationship with F.J. Westcott and I was thrilled to see my work represented once again in the Westcott Catalog. Check out their Late 2013 Edition here in PDF. Not only is my work in it, but it’s one heck of a catalog covering all of their gear. See more of my photography here. Also check out my Westcott Terry White Travel Portrait Lighting Kit Here.
One of my most popular videos right now is my How To Get Started with Lightroom 4 video. I figured it was time to make the Lightroom 5 version and here it is. In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV I’ll show you how to get started using Lightroom 5. This is for beginners, first time Lightroom users, and folks who are self-taught and may be missing things. We’ll cover the 10 things beginners ask about the most. Definitely check out the last thing which is how to move your photos from one drive to another.
Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?
See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:
This seems to be an annual thing for me as each new iOS version lets you do more with Siri and each year there are more and more new iPhone and iPad users. Siri lets you do so much with simple voice commands and most people have no clue what you can ask Siri to do. For quick reference here’s my original 25 Fun Things to Ask Siri post and the follow up 25 New Things To Ask Siri when iOS 6 came out. Well iOS 7 is here and of course you can Ask Siri even more things now. Here are a few of my favorites – 7 New Things You Can Ask Siri:
AirPlane Mode (you tell Siri to control your settings, Bluetooth on, make the screen brighter, etc.)
Play iTunes Radio
FaceTime My Sister
Post to Facebook (or write on my wall, or Tweet)
What’s trending on twitter?
Read my email
What planes are flying over me right now?
Now for a little fun
Siri definitely has a sense of humor. Ask Siri these 5 questions and see what she comes back with:
I just wanted to take this opportunity to not only wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season, but also to thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout the year! I wish you the best for 2014!
May all your tech and photographic Christmas wishes come true!
As a photographer I’m always looking at the latest and greatest lighting gear. Most of the lighting I buy is geared towards professional photographers and videographers. However, today I’m reviewing a product that is geared towards non-professionals. Just about everyone takes pictures and videos with their smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras. However, most amateurs rarely think about lighting until after the fact. Also most smartphones and small cameras don’t really do well in low light settings. Therefore, off camera lighting is nice to have, but rarely convenient or cheap. This is where the Kick LED Full Color Video Light comes in. Beyond being a nice, small, light-weight, bright, battery powered LED light, it has a built-in WiFi network. You can control it with the free Kick App for your iPhone and Android smartphone. Not only can you control the brightness, but you can also control the color too. There are even special effects such as strobe effects and effects that will continuously change the hue. You can even use the camera on your device to sample the color of the walls or lights around you to have the Kick automatically emit the same colors.
Rather than tell you more about it, I’d rather show you in this video:
Sample photo taken before adding the Kick lightSample photo taken after adding the Kick light
If you use your iPhone a lot during the day then chances are you’ll run out of battery before you run out of day. While at my desk I keep it plugged in and while in my car I use this car charger. However, when I’m on the road I tend to use my iPhone 5s quite a bit when I’m not near a power source. I also depend on it heavily and can’t afford to run out of juice. I’ve used a variety of external batteries before, but the one that is definitely the most convenient is the Mophie Juice Pack Air. The reason I like this one best is because it doubles as a case for iPhone 5/5s. This means that while your iPhone is in the Juice Pack Air it’s being charged and protected at the same time. Because it is a battery it does add a bit more bulk than a standard case, but not too much. It’s also very light and therefore doesn’t add a ton of weight. The Juice Pack Air charges via a micro USB cable (supplied). At first I was a bit disappointed in this because I had hoped for a Lightning connector pass-thru. However, on the plus side micro USB is more common and easier to share with non-iPhone users. You can charge just the Juice Pack or both the Juice Pack and iPhone at the same time. The Juice Pack Air has a physical switch to turn it on/off and an LED readout to let you know how much “juice” is left. The 1700mAh battery is designed to give you 100% more power effectively doubling your iPhone 5/5s battery life.
The Mophie Juice Pack Air comes in Black, White and PRODUCT (Red). I went with the PRODUCT (Red) one. I keep it charged and available for those “long days”. I’ve used previous models on previous iPhones and they have never let me down.
If you missed the Adobe Create Now World Tour or you just want to see the presentations again, here’s your chance to catch the replay. You can see all of the presentations below in this YouTube Playlist. The New York stop of the tour was professionally recorded/edited and you can watch Paul Trani, Jason Levine, and me deliver the presentations for Creative Cloud, Design, Web, Video, and Creating Interactive Content. Each segment is a separate video so you can watch them all or skip to the one you want to see the most.
